The Volunteer State

The transfer portal is open, and Tennessee needs to do a little holiday shopping. The Vols have legitimate needs to address for 2024. Defensive backs? Wide receivers? A tight end? Some offensive linemen? A backup quarterback? If the Vols are feeling gluttonous, they could do some big spending in the transfer market. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeye r, Adam Sparks and John Adams offer their...

If the Gator Bowl is to be Tennessee football's postseason path , then let the opponent be North Carolina. The Vols (8-4) will learn their bowl destination on Sunday. Most of the prominent projections have identified Tennessee as being earmarked for the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, against either UNC (8-4) or North Carolina State (9-3). Tennessee last played in the Gator Bowl to culminate the 2019...

Tennessee football requires a recalibration of its offense in the offseason. A unit that led the nation in scoring in 2022 is pretty pedestrian this season. And Josh Heupel's teams aren't built to succeed with pedestrian offenses. Offense must fuel the Vols' success. In Nico Iamaleava , we trust? Well, sort of. Better quarterback play is needed in 2024, and Iamaleava will be a redshirt freshman re...

Tennessee football 's crowning achievement 10 games into the season is a win at Kentucky . What's that say? Well, it's not a success story. But, can this season fairly be labeled a bust? The Vols (7-3, 3-3 SEC) entered the season with a preseason No. 12 ranking and the momentum of an 11-win campaign that included an Orange Bowl triumph. It didn't take long, though, for Tennessee to show its colors...

Tennessee football is likely headed to a Florida bowl game, but which one? And, does it matter? If we told you the Vols are bound for either the Citrus, Gator or ReliaQuest (formerly Outback) bowl, would you know which the SEC considers the most prestigious? (Answer: Citrus Bowl.) No. 12 Tennessee's best path to the Citrus Bowl involves beating No. 15 Missouri on Saturday in Columbia. On today's e...

Wednesday’s reveal of the first College Football Playoff rankings served as a reminder of just how interesting – and deep – the playoff race will become next season. The Vols aren’t in the hunt for this year’s playoff, but the format will expand to 12 teams in 2024. If the 12-team playoff were here today, Tennessee would remain in contention for a spot. And, if last week’s 33-27 win over Kentucky...

Tennessee's road woe s are looking more like reality than myth. Alabama rarely has been more beatable during Nick Saban's tenure than it was Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Vols owned the first half. They were up by two scores at halftime, and their domination was more lopsided than that. And then Tennessee experienced an all-systems failure in the second half and watched No. 8 Alabama run a...

Josh Heupel's teams usually win because of their offense. These Tennessee Vols win in spite of their offense – at least, that was the case against Texas A&M. The Vols' defense fueled that victory. But, can Tennessee expect its defense to carry the day against Alabama? Usually, dynamite quarterback performances and a high-scoring opponent are required to beat Nick Saban's Crimson Tide. And Joe...

Tennessee and Texas A&M are two programs that enjoy a lot of advantages and frequently boast lofty expectations, while struggling to meet the bar of what is capable. In some ways, the programs are similar, and that's evident in the win-loss column. Throughout the past 20 seasons, the Vols averaged seven wins. The Aggies averaged 7.4. The teams will meet Saturday, in a pivotal game for the dire...

Good news for Tennessee: The Vols thrashed South Carolina , avenging their 2022 loss to the Gamecocks. Unsettling news for Tennessee: Kentucky dismantled Florida . How did the Vols look so bad against the Gators, and how will UT handle the Wildcats later this month? Good news for Tennessee: The Vols’ run game took off against South Carolina behind a recalibrated offensive line, now that Cooper May...

These next four games stand out as a defining swing stretch in Tennessee's season. South Carolina , then Texas A&M, Alabama and Kentucky await the Vols. Each of those games feels like something of a toss-up. Never mind that the Vols are a significant favorite against the Gamecocks according to sportsbooks. Spencer Rattler alone makes South Carolina dangerous. Vols fans should need no reminder...

We admit, we thought this time would be different. We're well aware of Tennessee's history in The Swamp , but much of that history came before Josh Heupel was coach. And much of that history came against Florida teams better than this one. So, yeah, we thought Tennessee would snap its losing streak in Gainesville that stretches to 2003. And stretches on after the Gators' convincing 29-16 victory o...

Dial back the clock to the 1990s, and Tennessee-Florida ranked among college football's best rivalries. Phillip Fulmer vs. Steve Spurrier . Peyton Manning vs. Danny Wuerffel. The SEC East on the line. Pandemonium reigns. The rivalry isn't what it used to be, and the series never had the history of Alabama-Tennessee or Florida-Georgia. Still, No. 9 Tennessee vs. Florida on Saturday has the feel of...

If you're majorly elevating your expectations for Tennessee football after its romp over Virginia , that suggests one of two things: Either you didn't expect much from the Vols initially, for some strange reason, or you're not understanding how bad Virginia is.  That said, we certainly saw nothing from Tennessee in its 49-13 joyride Saturday in Nashville to make us cool our expectations. We alread...

Virginia won three games last season, it was picked to finish last in the ACC this year, and the Cavaliers will start an FCS transfer at quarterback in its season opener against No. 10 Tennessee on Saturday in Nashville. No wonder the Vols are a 28½-point favorite. Josh Heupel’s teams are adept at steamrolling mediocre or meek opponents – anyone remember last season’s 56-point win over Vanderbilt?...

Tennessee football will have a new leading receiver this season and a new sacks leader. That much is guaranteed. But, what about rushing yards? Tackles? Will incumbents retain their place on the leaderboard, or will a new stat-stuffer emerge? Tennessee's season opener against Virginia is less than two weeks away, so we're winding down our final preseason predictions . On today's episode, Blake Top...

Tennessee football has found its starting left tackle , while the Vols search for stability on the interior of the offensive line . Hype is reaching a crescendo for quarterback Joe Milton, and Dont'e Thornton doesn’t lag far behind as the recipient of preseason hyperbole. And Tennessee’s cogs on defense are apparent. Those are a few things we’ve learned from Vols preseason practice, with a little...

Tennessee football will open the season as a preseason top-10 team for the first time since 2016. The Vols are ranked No. 10 in the USA TODAY AFCA coaches’ poll . This nod from the coaches speaks to the momentum building within a Tennessee program coming off of its first 11-win season since 2001. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss why Tennessee earned this ranking and...

The Vols are back – on the practice field . Tennessee's encore to an 11-2 season begins to take shape this week, when preseason workouts begin. Does Tennessee have the pieces to repeat 11 wins? That's a tall order, but a third straight bowl appearance should be in store, and the Vols are well-positioned to stay No. 2 in the SEC East pecking order, behind Georgia. On today's episode, hosts Blake To...

Joe Milton has a band of believers. Despite starting just two games last season, Milton earned third-team preseason All-SEC quarterback recognition.  Milton's honor roll spot is a credit to his performance in an Orange Bowl victory against Clemson, along with his steady hand as Tennessee's backup quarterback until Hendon Hooker injured his knee in November. Milton's always had the arm strength, an...

Two and a half years after Tennessee fired Jeremy Pruitt for cause, the NCAA released its verdict Friday after an investigation into a sloppy recruiting scandal. For Tennessee, it's good news. The Vols were hit with a few penalties, including an $8 million fine, but spared the dreaded postseason ban. For Pruitt, the sanctions included a six-year show-cause penalty that will further cripple his car...

An 11-win season sure did a lot to change the perception – not to mention the compensation – of Tennessee coach Josh Heupel . This time a year ago, some offseason lists had Heupel pegged in the bottom half of their ranking of SEC coaches. There was an explanation for that. Heupel had just one season of Power Five coaching experience – the Vols finished 7-6 in 2021 – and it remained unclear at that...

Hendon Hooker's 2022 season ranks among the best single-year performances ever by a Tennessee quarterback. Hooker threw for 3,135 yards and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. Josh Heupel's track record says it can happen again. UCF's Dillon Gabriel and Missouri's Drew Lock also had big seasons in Heupel's offense. Next into the 3,000 club ... Joe Milton ? On today's episode, hosts Blake Topp...

Tennessee baseball's triumph in three games over Southern Miss in an NCAA super regional showed the blueprint for how the Vols can stick around at the College World Series. The Vols' leaned on their pitching depth to carry them past USM. Drew Beam came up aces as the Game 3 starter, and Chase Burns slammed the door. Tennessee will need that all-around staff effort if it can't get past LSU on Satur...

Football schedules within the SEC will feature eight conference games in 2024 . Divisions will be a thing of the past, replaced by a unified 16-team conference. The SEC will keep rivalries in mind when devising schedules. Beyond that, specifics are unclear. The 2024 schedules for all SEC teams, including Tennessee, will be unveiled June 14. In the meantime, we can form educated guesses as to what...