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Tennessee’s 2024 season ended with a humbling, disappointing, embarrassing 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the 1st round of the newly expanded College Football Playoff. Mathematics tells us that’s a 25-point margin… and the game wasn’t nearly that close.
If you were to write a script for the Vols’ worst possible experience, it would have looked a lot like what we saw on Saturday night. A 21-0 deficit within the opening 12 minutes. Injuries that cost them key players for most of the game, including DB Dylan Sampson, the SEC’s offensive player of the year. Tennessee’s defensive front, rock solid much of the season, couldn’t get any pressure on Ohio State QB Will Howard, and he picked them apart for 311 yards and 2 scores on 24-of-29 passes. He’s never had a game like that in an OSU uniform. At the same time, without Sampson demanding so much defensive attention, Tennessee’s offensive line couldn’t protect QB Nico Iamaleava. He was pressured constantly, sacked 4 times and forced to run for his life over and over again.
But as bad as that ending was in Columbus, the sky is not falling in Knoxville. Remember, this is a Tennessee program only 4 years removed from a 3-7 season, after which then-coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired for recruiting violations. Then 35 players transferred, by far the most in the nation. For lack of a better term, Tennessee football was an absolute mess.
But Josh Heupel’s Rocky Top rebuild has been remarkable. The Vols have won 37 games over the past 4 years, including 2 bowl game victories and a spot in this Playoff. While beating Georgia remains an unreached goal, UT has defeated rivals Alabama and Florida twice each over the past 3 seasons. Tennessee is relevant again, something that couldn’t have even been dreamed of during the darkest times of the Pruitt era.
But there’s a lot of work to be done in Knoxville to get to Ohio State’s level. For 3 weeks, Buckeyes players and coaches heard nothing but criticism from national pundits and especially their own fan base following a humiliating loss to rival Michigan. They set out to make a statement against the Vols, and did that almost perfectly. Tennessee made a statement as well. Even with the tremendous progress that has been made since the start of the 2021 season, that Playoff game proved that the Vols should not be considered a serious SEC and national title contender. Not yet, anyway.
Here are 3 steps that Heupel must take to ensure the 2025 season ends in a more positive manner for Tennessee.
1. Find playmakers in the transfer portal
Tennessee’s roster is more talented than it was a few years back, and while traditional recruiting has helped, the transfer portal can bring in immediate difference-makers. Heupel has been aggressive in the portal, with CB Kamal Hadden (Auburn), safety Brandon Turnage (Alabama) and WR Bru McCoy (Southern Cal) among his best gets. Last offseason, the Vols welcomed Oregon State CB Jermod McCoy, Tulane WR Chris Brazzell II and Alabama TE Miles Kitselman, each of which played a significant role this year.
The Vols need a major infusion of portal talent again this offseason, and nowhere is that more of a priority than at WR. Seniors Dont’e Thornton and McCoy will be gone, as will Chas Nimrod and Kaleb Webb, both of whom jumped into the portal. Brazzell and Squirrel White will be back, but otherwise that room is looking pretty barren. Maybe 4-star Mike Matthews makes the jump after a quiet freshman season.
Iamaleava must have been jealous looking across the field at Ohio Stadium and seeing the Buckeyes feature multiple NFL caliber receivers — granted Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka were HS recruits, but …. Heupel and OC Joey Halzle need to give Iamaleava similar tools to get this offense moving again. Those chunk plays of the Hendon Hooker/Jalin Hyatt era feels a lot longer ago than 2 years.
Securing more help in the secondary and on the soon to be depleted offensive line is also very important.
2. Figure out how to play on the road
Neyland Stadium is the Vols’ fortress. Long gone are the days of opposing fans taking over the building. Under Heupel, the Vols are 25-4 at home, and have only lost once in Knoxville over the past 3 seasons. The aforementioned 4 recent combined wins over Alabama and Florida were at Neyland. The pre-game atmosphere, the in-game fireworks, the all encompassing noise (even if the Crimson Tide Sports Network believes Tennessee blasts jet engine sounds) … Neyland is as tough a place to play as you’ll find in the sport.
But away from home, Tennessee has been mediocre under Heupel. They are 8-10 in true road games, including the Playoff dud at OSU. It isn’t just that they are getting beaten, but the manner in which those losses are happening. Those 10 losses were by an average of over 19 points per defeat.
Even at Ohio Stadium, which saw 20,000 … or 30,000 … or 250,000 Vols fans (depending on who you talk to) in the stands, Iamaleava admitted that the crowd noise from Buckeyes fans was a factor. Unless they start playing all games in empty stadiums or at Neyland, the Vols need to find some answers when they need to get on a plane.
3. More player development
I’m sure that you, good reader, will agree that to compete for trophies in major college football, your backups need to be nearly as good as your starters.
Tennessee’s Class of 2023 was ranked 10th nationally with the Class of 2024 placing 14th. Some of those players transferred, but those who remain have had 2 seasons to develop with most of this coaching staff. It’s time for those players who haven’t gotten reps outside of the Chattanooga or Kent State games to contribute.
Depth is a primary reason the defensive line blossomed into one of the top groups in the nation for much of the year. They need to see that level of depth in more position groups. If this coaching staff is to remain in place, player development must be more common.
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.
