Tennessee Football Fans Expect More
I did a lot of thinking about Tennessee football for next season on Friday night.
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I wondered how the Tennessee Volunteer fanbase would view the current trajectory of Vols football under head football coach Josh Heupel after the beatdown in Columbus at the hands of Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
There is no right answer here to be sure, but I was nevertheless quite curious as to what most Vol fans were thinking. (Note: I’d also love to know what you think about Tennessee football heading into the offseason, too, so feel free to comment on this piece and let me know. I’d love to hear from you all.) Were most fans going to gravitate towards gratitude? Were most fans going to gravitate towards frustration? Were most fans going to gravitate towards panic?
I understand all of those emotions coming out of a 42-17 blowout loss to a team you thought you could hang with, and even upset, last Saturday night. That obviously did not happen. It was a complicated feeling, I suspect, for most Vol fans that night because on the one hand, you won ten regular season games for the second time in the last three seasons, but in the two biggest games of the season, both on the road against two of college football’s best rosters, the Vols scored seven total second-half points against Ohio State and Georgia and on the other hand, you have a coach who has won seventy percent of his games in his four seasons at the helm.
It’s complicated, and I wondered if that’s how most Vol fans would see things heading into this offseason for Tennessee. On my way home back to Knoxville on Friday night after visiting my family back in Atlanta for Christmas, I listened to the Swain Event and the Tony Basilio Show episodes from Thursday and Friday, respectively, and thought both episodes were quite revealing.
Former Tennessee wide receiver Jayson Swain and legendary Knoxville sports radio host Tony Basilio, it seems, see the program the same way in that both agree Heupel has done a really good job here. Coming out of that loss to the Buckeyes, though, along with the lack of internal development of wide receivers and offensive linemen recruited by Heupel’s staff, this is a big offseason for the fifth-year coach. He has a really good floor, that much is clear – does he have a great ceiling, though?
I don’t know.
I do know, though, after listening to so many callers on both programs that Vol fans are by and large looking at this in a really fair and objective way. Making the CFP is awesome. Winning thirty games in three seasons is fantastic. It’s pretty sweet to have just one home loss in Neyland Stadium since the start of the 2022 season.
It’s also fair to worry about where the Vols are headed in 2025. To get back to the CFP in 2025, the Vols will have to either beat Georgia for the first time in the Heupel Era or win on the road in Tuscaloosa or Gainesville. None of these three things have happened. In his two odd-numbered seasons, Heupel went 7-5 and 8-4. In his two even-numbered seasons where he got the Gators and Crimson Tide at home, he went 10-2 and 10-2. Next year is going to be a tougher gauntlet than 2024.
Tennessee is losing their bell cow back in junior star tailback Dylan Sampson to the NFL Draft. Tennessee could start four new players on the offensive line in 2025 – maybe just three if left guard Andrej Karic gets one more year of eligibility. Tennessee’s wide receiver room is going to look completely different with five wideouts in the transfer portal and two off to the NFL in Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Bru McCoy. Tennessee was 94th in passing offense in conference play this season. They were 46th last year. There are a lot of different reasons as to why Tennessee’s passing game has struggled the last two seasons.
Still, the Vols won 19 games over the last two seasons with a passing game that lacked explosive plays and playmakers on the outside. From listening to the callers on those two programs, Tennessee fans deserve a lot of credit for how they see things right now for the Vols. With all of the issues at wide receiver and on the offensive line this season, it’s pretty remarkable that Heupel was able to get to double-digit wins and a CFP birth. It’s also clear, though, that fans are antsy about the offense in 2025. They’re both appreciative and antsy.
I think that’s where I am, too. You can be appreciative of how good Heupel has been at Tennessee and also be quite antsy with how this offense has looked the last two seasons and wonder if the Vols can continue to get away with it in 2025. Tennessee is bringing in a five-star offensive tackle in David Sanders Jr. who should be an upgrade at one of the tackle spots. Tennessee is bringing in the No. 1 high school wide receiver out of the talent-rich state of Georgia in back-to-back seasons in Travis Smith Jr. to pair with former five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews out of the Peach State in the prior class.
There are reasons for optimism and there are reasons for concern for Tennessee on offense in 2025. Based on what I heard on my drive home last night, I suspect that’s where most Vol fans are right now. They’re not miserable after the loss to the Buckeyes, but their appetite for greatness in this sport has not wavered. They’re frustrated with the offense, and rightfully so. Tennessee is going to return a whole lot of pieces on defense in 2025 and it’s fair to project the Vols to have one of the best defenses in the SEC once again next season. Tennessee is in a good position to win a lot of games again next season. But fans know something has been off with this offense for two seasons now. Things are good with the football program, but for things to be great with the football program the offense has to catch back up to the defense, and it’s both fair and reasonable for Vol fans to be both appreciative and antsy about where things are headed in Year 5 under Heupel.
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TODAY ON THE CHASE THOMAS PODCAST
Chase Thomas is the Sports Renaissance Man, Atlanta Sports Guy & VFL. On today's program, Chase is joined by Rocky Top Insider's Ryan Schumpert to air their 2024 Tennessee Volunteers football airing of grievances, what happened to the Tennessee passing attack, relying too much on Dylan Sampson all season long, why the Vols don't incorporate more mesh concepts, the Tennessee pass rush in big games and much more.
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Make it a great Saturday, everyone.
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Chase