Alex Miller
The Tennessee football team has been motivated this offseason by its lopsided loss to Ohio State in the first round of last season's College Football Playoff.
The Volunteers had their work cut out for them this offseason, though, and will break in a new quarterback after Nico Iamaleava left the program in April amid a chaotic split between starter and school.
Tennessee was picked to finish eighth in the Southeastern Conference in the league's preseason media poll, one spot behind Texas A&M. The Vols received one vote to be SEC champion. They do not play the Aggies this season.
Tennessee had three players named to the preseason All-SEC team. Cornerback Jermod McCoy was a first-team selection. Linebacker Arion Carter and defensive back Boo Carter were third-team picks.
"As we move forward here into the '25 season, I'm going to rewind to last December. Everybody inside of our program didn't like the taste in their mouth as the season finished up in late December," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said at SEC Media Days in July. "That's been a part of spurring us on throughout each quarter of our off-season. It's been a part of how intentional and how focused that we've been throughout the course of the summer, and I'm excited to go compete with these guys when we get here to training camp."
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Iamaleava transferred to UCLA in April after reported dissentions between him and Tennessee over his name, image and likeness (NIL) deal.
"It's just been us, just focused on everybody that is in the building," senior defensive tackle Bryson Eason said. "That's really what only matters at the end of the day. Just focusing on us and building as a team and just taking steps every day to be better as a team and as one."
The Vols got UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar out of the portal in return, though he never played for the Bruins. Aguilar started his college career at Appalachian State and was the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023. He transferred to UCLA after the 2024 season, but was on the move again after Iamaleava went to the Bruins.
Being a team leader, Arion Carter said he got with Aguilar when he first arrived to Knoxville and set expectations with him.
"Once we got that all figured out, being able to sit down with him, we all had an occasional meal with the quarterbacks and linebackers and special teams, just having a guy like that in your room and having a guy like that in the building is such a great opportunity that we have," Arion said. "He's such a smart guy, very poised, very calm, collected dude, that I wouldn't change anything for the world to have him on our team, alongside with my other two young quarterbacks that he's able to go coach up with George [MacIntyre] and Jake [Merklinger]."
Boo was unavailable for the start of preseason practice, but is back with the team again. He was an All-SEC freshman team selection in 2024 after he emerged as the Vols' starter in the second half at the star position, which is a safety/linebacker hybrid role. He also led the league in punt returns at 16.5 yards per return. Arion said Boo is a young player who is so explosive and able to be dynamic in all three phases of the game.
"Just being able to have a guy like that that's like a Swiss Army knife, in my opinion, that you can put him anywhere in the field, that's a playmaker," Arion Carter said. "It's such a great blessing to have a guy like that that's going to be young, talented and still growing as a player, as a young man who is going to have a great future for us, who is able to make big-time plays for us in big-time games for us."
Tennessee opens the season at home against Syracuse on Aug. 30. Arion Carter said the Vols approached the offseason with a different level of preparation after last year's Playoff run.
"We realize that we belong here, playing at a championship level in the SEC," Arion Carter said. "And just as a whole, I feel like we just needed to set ourselves apart by working very intentionally through our preparation and our work habits to set ourselves apart from everybody else in the SEC, in our conference and in the league."
TENNESSEE AT A GLANCE
Enrollment: 36,954
Neyland Stadium: 101,915
Coach: Josh Heupel (37-12 at Tennessee, five seasons; 65-23 overall, eight seasons)
Offensive starters returning (2): WR Chris Brazzell II, jr. (29 receptions-333 yards, 11.5, 2 TDs); TE Miles Kitselman, sr. (22 receptions-301 yards, 13.7, 4 TDs; T Lance Heard, sr.
Defensive starters returning (8): L Dominic Bailey, sr. (25 tackles/10 solos, 5 QBPs, 2 FR); T Bryson Eason, sr. (24 tackles/16 solos, 7 TFL-27 yards, 5 QBPs); LB Arion Carter, jr. (68 tackles/29 solos, 6.5 TFL, 6 PBU); LB Jeremiah Telander, jr. (43 tackles/20 solos, 3.5 TFL, 3 FR); CB Rickey Gibson III, jr. (32 tackles/25 solos, 5 PBU); CB Jermod McCoy, jr. (44 tackles/26 solos, 4 int.-71 yards, 9 PBU, 2nd team All-American); S Andre Turrentine, sr. (37 tackles/20 solos, 3 PBU); LB Boo Carter, soph. (38 tackles/28 solos, 3 TFL, 3 QBPs)
Specialists: P Jackson Ross, soph. (43.9 avg. on 53 punts, 15 FC, 21 I20, 10 50-plus); PK Max Gilbert, soph. (20-26 FGs, long 52)
Key transfers: QB Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State, sr. (218-of-390 passing, 3,003 yards, 23 TDs, 14 int. & 59 carries-207 yards, 3.5, 2 TDs); RB Star Thomas, Duke, sr. (213 carries-871 yards, 4.1, 7 TDs & 20 receptions-153 yards, 7.7, TD); OG Wendell Moe, Arizona, jr. (13 starts, 2nd All-Pac-12); OG Sam Pendleton, Notre Dame (7 starts); DL Josh Schell, Grand Valley State, jr. (35 tackles, 3 TFL)
Coming Tuesday: Ole Miss Rebels
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