It’s very difficult for me to call Tennessee’s football season is a flat out disappointment. The Vols did too much in 2024 not to be extremely excited about the future.
For instance, quarterback Nico Iamalaeva may have not lived up to all the hype that was generated by his recruitment, which cost $2-million annually, from the west coast. However, I don’t seen any California cool to Iamaleava. In fact, I see an intense competitor that is intent on constantly improving.
Is Iamaleava perfect? No, but I still think he’ll be a top-flight quarterback in 2025.
I’ve also been impressed with how Iamaleava continued to improve throughout the season. Let’s all recall the problems that Iamaleava had with some accuracy and fumbling issues early in the season. I have little concern that those issues will crop up again.
That, of course, leads us to the offensive line, which has been Tennessee’s biggest concern under fourth-year head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols once had trouble in the secondary. They fixed that. Can they fix their offensive line woes? That could be much tougher.
Offensive tackle Lance Heard proved to be solid after he struggled earlier this season with an ankle injury. However, his plight proves that plugging in offensive linemen aren’t quite as easy as doing the same at other positions.
That leads to Heupel’s most important task if he wants to win a championship. Tennessee’s offensive line has to be better and, more importantly, deeper. The Vols, even with Iamaleava, can’t overcome a shaky offensive line if they’re aiming for rings. If there’s on disappointment during Heupel’s career, it’s up front.
Through four years now at Tennessee, the Vols have yet to start an offensive lineman regularly Heupel signed out of high school. This isn’t to say they haven’t made good use of their talent. Cooper Mays became an All-American. Darnell Wright became a top 10 draft pick.
Consistent player-development and talent evaluation, however, leaves a lot to be desired.
Tennessee simply has to be better stocked on the offensive line in the future. If not, Heupel’s career will go down as a disappointment. That’s the next step for UT to get it’s personnel on par with the rest of the teams that have a realistic shot at winning a national championship.
