The college football season isn’t very far away. We still have a few weeks of this brutal, hot summer ahead of us, but you can see the light through the humidity.

When it comes to taking a step forward in the SEC, Tennessee might not be as far away as we thought. But the Vols have some questions that will need to be answered heading into the 2022 season.

Here are the 10 most critical:

1) Will Tennessee finally get a win over 1 of the Big 3?

Tennessee has had a record of recent futility against its 3 biggest rivals — 15 straight losses to Alabama;  14 losses in their last 15 meetings with Florida; 5 straight losses to Georgia.

Victories over those teams are remembered forever. The Vols get the Gators and Crimson Tide at home this year. The Florida game looks like their best chance to get a big win.

2) Who will be the backup QB?

Hendon Hooker is established as the starting quarterback, but that doesn’t mean he will get all the significant snaps. The backup is always 1 snap away from being “the guy.”

Joe Milton was the starter at the beginning of the 2021 season until Hooker took over and never gave up the spot. Tayven Jackson has yet to play in a college football game, but by most accounts he had a solid spring.

The backup battle likely will be between the redshirt senior and the true freshman.

3) Will Tennessee top 7 wins?

In 2021, the Vols defied the experts by winning 7 games. They could have gotten a couple more had a few whistles gone their way in the Pittsburgh, Ole Miss and Music City Bowl losses as well.

The schedule is still a gauntlet, but out of conference, there are wins to be had. The home slate brings the same possibilities. Getting at least 1 more win in 2022 would show that the program continues to improve.

4) Will the Vols’ defense establish depth?

Tennessee couldn’t get off the field fast enough on defense. The Vols saw as many snaps as almost any team in the nation, and by the time the 4th quarter came along, they were gassed.

The Vols won’t win many time-of-possession battles against quality opponents, thanks in large part to their own offense. So they need the bench to give starters much-needed rest.

If they can’t, they will continue to struggle to keep pace in these track meets.

5) Who will be Cedric Tillman’s wingman?

Tennessee had quite a 1-2 punch in the passing game with Velus Jones Jr. and Cedric Tillman combining for 126 catches, 1,888 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2021.

Sadly for the Vols, Jones was drafted by the Chicago Bears and thus will be unable to play on Saturdays.

Tillman will be the No. 1 option in the passing game, but he needs some help. Jalin Hyatt might be the front-runner after catching at least 20 passes in each of his first 2 years at Tennessee. If not Hyatt, Southern Cal transfer Bru McCoy or Ramel Keyton will have the opportunity to be the 2nd look for Hooker.

6) Will Jeremy Banks lead the Vols in tackles again?

The answer is probably yes. Banks had 128 tackles in 2021, 44 more than his next-closest teammate, fellow linebacker Aaron Beasley.

Banks is the Vols’ best defensive player, and if healthy, he will put up some monster numbers yet again this fall. Tennessee would love for some other guys to emerge to help him out. Edge rusher Byron Young tied Banks for the team lead in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (5.5) last year and will look to get a few more of each in the fall.

7) Who gets the most rushes?

In the Josh Heupel offense, the quarterback will move the football with his feet a good deal. Last season,  Hooker carried the football a team-high 166 times.

Tennessee would like to limit the number of hits (and chances to get hurt) for Hooker, so the ground game will have to move some without his being ripe for punishment from opposing defenses.

Jabari Small had 141 carries a year ago, and he split time with a variety of running backs. Jaylen Wright and Len’Neth Whitehead each had more than 80 attempts in 2021. If they don’t take too many carries from each other, one of them might top Hooker in carries this time around.

8) Who replaces Alontae Taylor?

The Vols will miss Taylor’s talents and leadership after he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. There are a few guys who could take over that top cornerback spot. JUCO transfer Kamal Hadden looked pretty good in the Music City Bowl loss after coming up with an interception, but he did miss spring practice. Ohio State transfer Andre Turrentine will also get a shot here.

Warren Burrell also missed spring practice. The top CB spot might be a bit much to ask of him at this point.

9) Who will replace Cade Mays at right tackle?

Mays was picked by the Carolina Panthers, so his right tackle slot is up for grabs. This might have been a spot for K’Rojhn Calbert, but the experienced player transferred to Eastern Kentucky.

Dayne Davis was the backup at this position last season, and he started against Alabama and Vanderbilt.
JUCO transfer Jeremiah Crawford got 31 snaps at RT in the Music City Bowl and had a very impressive spring. Right tackle should be a battle between those 2 guys.

10) Will Heupel give anyone bulletin board material?

This off-season, we saw a major verbal dustup between Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin trolled opposing fan bases, as he is apt to do.

But Tennessee’s coach pretty much stayed silent, more than willing to allow other SEC coaches to make noise.

If past is prologue, thenHeupel won’t have any tasty quotes before Tennessee’s biggest games.