Josh Heupel has turned Tennessee into a perennial SEC contender in just three years, and the 2024 campaign should prove no different.
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, the Vols could play their way into the dance, even if they don’t compete in the conference championship. Heupel will pour fuel on the fire at SEC Media Days, but what are three important questions awaiting him in Dallas, Texas?
Three Most Significant Questions for Josh Heupel at SEC Media Days
1) Is Nico Iamaleava the ‘Chosen One’ Under Center?
Vols fans have been spoiled by talented QBs during Heupel’s tenure. Joe Milton III left some to be desired coming off Hendon Hooker’s 11-2 campaign the year before, but the big-armed passer still led Tennessee to an 8-4 regular-season record.
Yet, the best of the bunch could be five-star redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, who led the team to a win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. During the contest, Hooker labeled him “the chosen one,” as the QB completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown, adding another three scores on the ground.
MORE: 2024 Tennessee Volunteers Depth Chart
Heupel praised Iamaleava after the game, saying, “I believe he’s going to be a great, dynamic playmaker. I thought he handled himself composed all day long. Subtle things of breaking the huddle, communication inside of the huddle, controlling the run game, his eyes were in the right place.”
At a listed 6’6” and 215 pounds, the California native is a genetic marvel. On top of a rocket launcher for an arm, he’s athletic enough to escape the pocket and pick up yards on the move.
Still not convinced? Watch Iamaleava absolutely dominate on the volleyball court. He has the tools, and with Heupel running the show, Tennessee will have no issue putting up points in 2024.
2) Is There Enough Depth at WR and RB?
Tennessee sent WRs Velus Jones Jr. (2022), Jalin Hyatt (2023), and Cedric Tillman (2023) to the NFL Draft in Heupel’s first two years at the helm. However, the team’s 2023 corps lacked depth behind sophomore Squirrel White, who posted a 67-803-2 receiving line.
Only one other WR had more than 225 receiving yards (Ramel Keyton, 642), but he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a UDFA. As a result, pass catcher depth was a concern in Knoxville entering the 2024 season.
Heupel addressed the issue in the transfer portal and recruiting cycle, landing Tulane’s Chris Brazzell II and two four-star true freshmen in Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. Brazzell only caught 44 passes in 2023, but he recorded 711 yards and five TDs, using all 6’5″ and 200 pounds of his frame to convert downfield.
Although Matthews and Staley are clearly talented, they may struggle to see the field. White and his blazing speed will be the primary target, and Brazzell’s massive size will attract attention, but collegiate veteran Bru McCoy also returns after suffering a fracture-dislocation of his ankle last season.
He routinely boxes corners out at 6’3″ and 220 pounds, and he has one of the best pair of hands on the team. Plus, senior Dont’e Thornton Jr., who enters his second season with the program after transferring from Oregon, is another 6’5″ WR expected to take a big step after taking 13 catches for 224 yards last season.
While the Vols are known for their aerial attack, they actually ranked first in the conference in rushing yards per game last season (204.8). Yet, Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small are gone, leaving Dylan Sampson as the lone returning back with significant experience.
Over the last two years, he took 164 carries for 1,001 yards and 13 TDs, showcasing the skill set needed to thrive in Heupel’s scheme.
True sophomore and former four-star recruit Cam Seldon has all the physical gifts to hit the ground running in 2024, but he underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason. If he isn’t healthy, Tennessee will rely on four-star true freshman Peyton Lewis and second-year backs DeSean Bishop and Khalifa Keith to rotate behind Sampson.
There is little collegiate experience between the four backs, but they all have the raw physical tools to step up in a pinch.
3) How Will the New-Look Secondary Perform in 2024?
The entire starting secondary from last season is gone, and several more players transferred out. But Tennessee didn’t stand idly by, snatching Oregon State CB Jermod McCoy, Temple CB Jalen McMurray, and MTSU safety Jakobe Thomas from the portal, with the former two projected to start in 2024.
The Vols are also confident in their returning talent. At corner, Rickey Gibson III is expected to slide into a first-team role after seeing meaningful snaps as a true freshman, former four-star Jordan Matthews is coming off a redshirt season, and a pair of recruits (four-star Kaleb Beasley and three-star Marcus Goree Jr.) could see playing time early on.
The safety position is in a similar place, with Andre Turrentine (free safety) and Jourdan Thomas (slot) stepping into starting roles after serving as depth pieces last year. Veterans Will Brooks (a former walk-on) and Christian Charles (missed 11 games due to injury in 2023) are also back, but it’s the young talent that should excite Vols fans.
6’2″, 195-pound sophomore John Slaughter spent his true freshman campaign on special teams but should crack the defensive rotation in 2024. Then, there is four-star Boo Carter and three-star Edrees Farooq, who enter a fluid depth chart with more than enough reps available.
Although the defensive backfield will look completely different in 2024, the coaches on the sideline won’t for the fourth consecutive season, as defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez run it back. Martinez, in particular, will have his hands full, but with 30 years of coaching experience and six NFL Draft picks in the last four years combined, he is well-equipped to develop the group into a formidable unit.
SEC Media Days Schedule: Josh Heupel, Tennessee Head Coach
- Date: Tuesday, July 16
- Time: 10:35 a.m. CT
- How to watch: SEC Network+
The Vols landed as the No. 7 team in our SEC Power Rankings this offseason, but that’s largely predicated on the roster’s youth. Their out-of-conference schedule includes three should-be wins against FCS-level Chattanooga, Kent State, and UTEP, although they’ll face off against a rising NC State program in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte in Week 2.
There are solid starters at every position on offense, and the defense returns many of its first-teamers from 2023, including game-altering EDGE James Pearce Jr. Tennessee went 9-4 with Joe Milton at the helm — if Iamaleava lives up to the hype, a 10+ campaign — and possibly a shot at the expanded CFP — is well within reach.
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