Tennessee is hoping to rebound from what was a disappointing 2023 season, and at least one ESPN analyst is optimistic about the Vols’ chances to do so.
Bill Connelly published a story for the World Wide Leader on Saturday going over some of the top “breakthrough and bounce-back candidates” for the 2024 campaign. He named Tennessee as a top candidate to rebound from its 9-win regular-season a year ago.
Here’s an excerpt from Connelly’s analysis on the Vols:
There’s no certainty that blue-chip sophomore Nico Iamaleava is ready to quarterback a top-five offense this fall, and as their No. 16 overall projected ranking suggests, improvement is not guaranteed. But with leading receiver Squirrel White and veteran Bru McCoy returning and intriguing big-play transfers Chris Brazzell II (Tulane) and Tommy Winton III (ETSU) joining the party, the ceiling is immensely high. The defense has played at a solid top-25 level for two straight years and boasts maybe the best defender in the country in James Pearce Jr. By SEC standards, the schedule is manageable with only four projected top-25 teams on the docket.
Vegas isn’t expecting Tennessee to take a major jump forward this year. The Vols’ regular-season win total at DraftKings is set at 8.5, despite a very high ceiling on both sides of the ball.
Tennessee is also plus-money to make the College Football Playoff (+170) and a relative long-shot to win the SEC in 2024 (+1500), per DraftKings.
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Tennessee’s schedule does include road matchups against Playoff-hopefuls in Oklahoma and Georgia as well as a home game against Alabama. The Vols will open the 2024 campaign against Chattanooga in Knoxville on Aug. 31.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
