The Tennessee Volunteers under Josh Heupel have been a different breed altogether. After wrapping up a 10-3 season in 2024 and leading the team to their first playoff ever, Heupel has finally declared that he means business. Nico Iamaleava, who had a mixed-bag season in 2024, will be a difference-maker in 2025. The team’s success will depend on their QB1 making the leap to the next level. However, that is not to say that there aren’t other problems.

Despite Josh Heupel’s heroics in the 2024 season, we still didn’t see the brand of football he is known for. That is his incredible offense and the development of QB potential under him. That was something hugely lacking all around the season. . Can Heupel successfully find his signature ‘brand’ of football in the 2025 season?

Well, it seems that despite all his exploits and willingness to find his rhythm back, there are still some concerns that will hold him back. Eric Cain of ‘Locked on Vols’ explored the vacant receiver room after the departure of Dante Thorton to the NFL Draft. “Look at the jump that Dante Thorton made the second year in the system. Really, he was starting to come around there towards the end of his first season in Knoxville, where Chris Brazzell II never really did. Once they moved Dante Thorton back to the outside, he went off in games. He was starting to come around there towards the end, but he took off his second year in the system.” So, the question now is, what does all this mean for the receiver room at Tennessee?

Well, after Dante Thorton left, there is some concern as to who will take the mantle of the receiving corps at Tennessee. Chris Brazzell is coming to his second season at the college, but his lack of form is the main issue. Last year, Brazzelll featured in most of the games but wasn’t quite able to find his form as he ended the season with a meager 333 receiving yards and two touchdowns. So, replicating the season that Thorton had will be a tough ask, considering the player was the leading receiver for the Vols and notched up 661 receiving yards at an impressive average of 25.4 yards per reception. Then comes Tennessee’s second problem.

The second problem isn’t quite a problem but more of a conundrum of sorts. We all know that Tennessee’s defense was a formidable wall throughout the season. This is evident by their rank for opponent yards per game, which places them at 7th nationally. Moreover, their yards conceded per play were even more impressive, as they are ranked 4th nationally at 4.5 yards per play. The offense, on the other hand, is an opposite story. What’s the problem in their defense now?

Well, Eric Cain explored the said problem, too. “You’re losing James Pearce Jr. We know Tennessee plays multiple guys on the defensive line. It is a rotation with Rodney Gardner (DL Coach). He, you know, rotates anywhere from 10 to 12 guys in that rotation, so Jordan Ross, the former five-star, was the fourth guy last year and primarily just played special teams. He will now move up one spot behind Joshua Josephs and Caleb Herring. Now, can he take that step?” Well, it’s certainly a valid question.

Is Josh Heupel’s defense not promising enough for the 2025 season?

Jordan Ross is someone who can definitely replicate what James Pearce Jr. did in the previous season. I mean, this was the player who led the rotating front seven paired with Omari Thomas. He finished the season with 38 tackles and 7.5 sacks. But now the player has left for the NFL draft. So, players like Caleb Herring, who will be entering his 2025 season as a junior, and Joshua Josephs will take the mantle. Jordan Ross, who will be coming as a redshirt freshman, will have to step up to provide that depth in the trenches. That surely will be easier said than done. But he can do it.

This is because their defensive line coach has the tendency to rotate the DLs frequently in the game. So, in that scenario, he can still see plenty of snaps over the course of the season. Furthermore, his talent ceiling is quite high, as he was a 5-star prospect in the 2024 class and has the physical traits at 6 feet, 4.5 inches, and 245 lbs to back him up pretty well. Then comes the problem with Nico Iamaleava.

Well, combined with these problems, Josh Heupel will have the QB problem on his hands. We couldn’t see the best of Nico in the 2024 season. Take, for instance, Ohio State in the playoffs. The player struggled as he completed just 14 of the 31 passes and was sacked 4 times. So, he surely needs to improve a lot on his passing. But then, can his improvement alone guarantee success?

Well, that’s the thing because, apart from these problems, Josh Heupel has three other problems on his plate. Those being the inexperience at different departments, the problems with the offensive line, and the cornerback room not promising enough for the 2025 season. The ultimate question now is: Can Josh Heupel rise up from all this and deliver?