We. Are. Back.
The Fearless Prediction has spent the last 8 months working tirelessly on its craft. From the Grand Tetons of Wyoming to the beaches of Anguilla, we’ve left no pebble unturned, researching every college football lead. This is the year we will take down all the haters, and prognosticate each Tennessee Volunteers football game with ruthless aggression.
Let’s not waste any time, and jump right in. On August 30, Tennessee kicks off the 2025 season with a nonconference Power 4 opponent (woo!) at a neutral site (boo!). Is it so difficult to book a return flight? Heck, I’m old enough to remember the Vols playing against Pittsburgh… in Pittsburgh! Punt neutral-site regular-season CFB games into the sun. Tennessee will play Syracuse… in Atlanta, because that’s just what we do now.
It was quite the offseason for the Vols. They saw their 5-star QB leave for less green pastures in Southern California, which led to what was basically CFB’s first QB trade. One of Tennessee’s best players, defensive back Boo Carter, missed a lot of team activities, was dressed down by team leaders, and is now back in the (semi) good graces of Vol Nation. An arrest warrant was issued for former Vol Grant Frerking after he was outed for (allegedly) being the mastermind of an elaborate pine straw delivery scheme.
Knoxville is never boring.
Let’s look at the 2025 Vols on offense. Exit Nico Iamaleava, enter former Appalachian State QB (and for a few weeks UCLA QB) Joey Aguilar, who won the starting job over redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre. This wasn’t a huge surprise, as Aguilar was the only guy with any significant game experience. He threw for 6760 yards and 56 TDs in two seasons at Appalachian State.
At running back, there are even bigger cleats to fill, with SEC offensive player of the year Dylan Sampson now with the Cleveland Browns following a record-setting 2024 season for the Vols. The good news is that DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis appear to be ready to pick up the slack. Bishop and Lewis combined for 894 rushing yards and 6 scores last season.
Tennessee’s wide receiver position… well there’s some work to do there with Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton no longer at UT. They combined for 99 catches, 1,514 yards and 10 TDs in 2024. There are only 7 receivers on the roster earning scholarships. For the Vols’ sake, you hope that 5-star pass catcher Mike Matthews makes the jump, following a freshman season in which he had trouble getting on the field, making only 7 receptions. Chris Brazzell II is the Vols top returning pass catcher with 29 grabs, including the diving score that helped Tennessee beat Alabama last October. Look for TE Miles Kitselman to improve on his 22 catches a year ago as a safety valve for Aguilar.
The Vols’ offensive line only brings back 1 starter in left tackle Lance Heard. Five-star David Sanders, Notre Dame transfer Sam Pendleton and Arizona transfer Wendell Moe Jr. are each expected to start against Syracuse and must be big contributors for Tennessee to get to double digits in victories once again in 2025.
Defensively, Tennessee has as much depth as we’ve seen in a long time. Yes, they lost edge rusher James Pearce Jr. to the NFL, but there are playmakers all over the field. LB Arion Carter returns after leading the Vols in tackles with 68 in 2024. Jeremiah Telander makes up the second half of a stout linebacking crew. Up front, Joshua Josephs (39 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss last season), Bryson Eason (7 tackles for a loss last season) and Jaxson Moi bring experience and some attitude to that defensive line. In the secondary, a lot relies on how well Jermod McCoy recovers from a torn ACL he suffered while working out at his home last January.
As for Syracuse, the Orange were a surprise 10-3 in 2024, but it’s going to be really tough for them to match that success this fall. In addition to the Tennessee game, Syracuse plays at Clemson, SMU and Notre Dame. Each of those 4 opponents made the College Football Playoff last season. Syracuse also has to go to Miami.
Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli won the starting QB job, but who is going to help him? WR Darrell Gill Jr. is his top returning playmaker with 31 catches a year ago, averaging over 18 yards per grab. Texas transfer receiver Johntay Cook II will get his chances. Other than that, the shelves are not stocked. Their best RB (LeQuint Allen) and top 3 WRs are all gone. For Syracuse to have a chance at the upset, it must do a lot of what made it thrive a year ago. The Orange were 6th in the nation in time of possession at over 33 minutes per game, which would serve the dual purpose of limiting possessions for Tennessee’s fast-paced group.
On defense, Syracuse needs a lot from 8th-year senior DE David Reese. No, that’s not a typo. The 8th-year senior played 5 injury-filled seasons at Florida before recording 50 tackles and 11 sacks in his 2 years at Cal. I’m rooting for him to get a 9th-year because college is fun.
So what can we expect from this game? It’s tough to predict early season contests because we haven’t seen these teams play yet, and a lot can change from year to year. But maybe we can learn something from the past. Back in 1998, Tennessee opened the regular season at Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. It was a terrific game, won 34-33 by the Vols thanks to Jeff Hall’s 27-yard FG at the final gun. Without that victory, the odds are slim that Tennessee finishes the season as BCS National Champions.
Look, I’m not saying history is going to repeat itself for the Vols in 2025… but I’m not not saying it either.
Hey, the 1998 Vols were also replacing a 5-star QB, and weren’t expected to be a powerhouse.
But before you go 16-0, you’ve gotta go 1-0.
Fearless Prediction: Tennessee 31, Syracuse 14
Mark Nagi has covered Tennessee athletics for over 20 years. He is the author of “Decade of Dysfunction,” an in-depth look at all that led to the crazy coaching search of 2017 at Tennessee. The book is available on Amazon.
