By: Dallas Bowlin
Senior Staff Writer/Editor/Host
All Vol Call In Show
I’m well aware of the comments the title of this article will spark. Sure, to officially say Tennessee is back, we’ll need to add some hardware to the championship shelf—but I don’t care. Maybe this article won’t age well, and I still don’t care. I’m here to tell you, the Vols are back.
Football is always won in the trenches, and this Tennessee team can go toe-to-toe with anyone. I’ll take it a step further: Tennessee has the best defensive line in the country. Omari Thomas, Jayson Jenkins, Tyre West, and Omarr Norman-Lott made Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold feel like he was stuck in a nightmare Saturday night. Sure, the Sooners’ offensive line isn’t top-tier, but that doesn’t diminish what Tennessee’s front four displayed. When you watch them, you see a hungry, relentless group that loves to hit—and hit hard. The Vols rank in the top 20 in tackles for loss and second in rushing defense.
On the offensive side, the pass protection wasn’t perfect against Oklahoma, but that was without Lance Heard, plus several snaps with John Campbell sidelined due to injury. Even with those challenges, Tennessee still managed 151 rushing yards and 194 passing yards, totaling 345 yards of offense.
“But James Pearce Jr. will be gone, Elijah Simmons and Omari Thomas are seniors, and Tyre West is a junior. We’ll have a down year next year!" Hush. Yes, those guys are important, but Tennessee will reload. Arion Carter is just a sophomore, and talented pass rusher Jordan Ross is only a freshman. Plus, the Vols have four-star defensive lineman Mariyon Dye, four-star edge Jayden Loftin, and four-star linebacker Jaedon Harmon coming in next season. And don’t forget the transfer portal—there’s no doubt that some elite defensive talent will want to join the party.
But wait, there’s more! The Tennessee offense will continue to be explosive. Nico Iamaleava is just a freshman, and he'll be well-protected. Lance Heard is only a sophomore, while former four-star linemen Bennett Warren, Max Anderson, and William Satterwhite are all freshmen. Next season, five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. will join the line.
As for offensive weapons, Iamaleava won’t lack targets. Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are already on campus as freshmen, and next season, four-star tight end Da’Saahn Brame, four-star wide receiver Travis Smith Jr., four-star tight end Jack Van Dorselaer, and four-star wide receiver Radarious Jackson will join the offense. That’s not even counting potential transfer portal pickups.
“But what about after Nico?” Don’t worry. Tennessee has former four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger on the roster, and in the class of 2025, four-star George MacIntyre is coming in. By 2026, the number-one player in the country, five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, will arrive. The Vols are set to have elite quarterback play—and an elite offense—for years to come.
For the past decade, teams like Georgia and Alabama haven’t had true rebuild seasons—they’ve had reload seasons, fueled by a stockpile of talent. Tennessee is about to do the exact same thing.
Back to the Oklahoma game for a second—Coach Heupel and Iamaleava showed they don’t always need to go ultra-fast, air it out, or rely on explosive chunk plays in the run game to win. They proved they can slow things down, grind out first downs, and play possession football like a more traditional offense. Good teams win games. Great teams win ugly games.
I want to wrap this up with a message to the fan base: This is not a Derek Dooley, Butch Jones, or Jeremy Pruitt-coached football team. This is a Josh Heupel-coached team. Yes, the past decade has been rough, but those times are gone and in the past. Take your “BVS” and throw it away. I don’t ever want to hear that acronym again. Don’t be cowards. Do you think Georgia or Alabama fans sit around moaning “Oh, here we go again” every time something negative happens on the field or they lose a game? No, they know they have elite programs and elite talent. Tennessee is now in that same breath. This is Tennessee’s time. A new era has begun.
Photo above | USA Today
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