State of the Vols Address

Written By Tucker Harlin

By Tucker Harlin

It’s nice for Tennessee fans to know their team is comfortably 4-0 heading into its first bye week while a significant portion of the SEC is struggling to get its act together.

The Vols prevailed in a prolific manner in all four victories. The only game in which the offense saw stale stretches was the road win at Oklahoma, but the defense did everything and more than the coaching staff asked for in Norman.

Just as the President of the United States gives their State of the Union Address in non-election years, I’m going to give you my State of the Vols Address for the bye week.

THE SCHEDULE HAS LIGHTENED UP…. A LOT

We knew Kent State and Chattanooga weren’t up to the task against the Vols in Week 1 and Week 3, and neither NC State nor the Oklahoma offense played like ranked teams in Week 2 or Week 4. The Vols won’t have another true free space game until UTEP the second to last week of the season.

Opposing fan bases can whine about the schedule all they want, but as it stands the Vols are one of two bunches in all of college football with two ranked wins in the first four weeks of the season.

For the haters in SEC country, most of their teams are weakening as the season progresses, particularly a handful that play Tennessee.

Just look at Mississippi State, Florida, and Kentucky right now.

Mississippi State is hands down the worst team in the conference through the first month, Florida’s win over Mississippi State forced it to delay the inevitable and imminent firing of Billy Napier, and Kentucky is in the dying stages of what’s turned into a stale marriage with Mark Stoops.

We all know about the hurdles that are Georgia and Alabama later in the season for Tennessee, but we’ll cross those bridges when we come to them.

When I survey the remaining two-thirds of Tennessee’s schedule, the toughest games I see on paper that aren’t Georgia or Alabama are Arkansas in Fayetteville and…. Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Let me make something very clear: I am by no means sold on either Arkansas or Vanderbilt.

Arkansas runs the ball very well and performed at an optimal level on defense against a horrible Auburn offense. Taylen Green is an athletic freak at quarterback, but he’s got some inconsistency to him.

As for Vanderbilt, I’m just having a hard time reading it. The Commodores shocked Virginia Tech in Week 1, lost to a rebuilding Georgia State team out of the Sun Belt in Week 3, and took Missouri to overtime in Columbia. I definitely think Vandy is better this season than in previous years under Clark Lea thanks to the influx of talent from Las Cruces, but I’m not willing to call it bowl eligible just yet.

NICO’S BEST IS YET TO COME

Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics

Nico Iamaleava proved himself the missing link in Tennessee’s offense in 2023 by his play both in the Citrus Bowl to end last season and the play at the beginning of the 2024 season.

The throws Nico has made in the opening stages of this season were nonexistent in 2023.

There were two passes on consecutive plays Chris Brazzell and Dont’e Thornton on a scoring drive against Chattanooga that I instantly thought were unreplicable by a Joe Milton. The pass to Brazzell was about 15 yards down the middle of the field in with about five yards of separation between Brazzell and a circle of defenders. The pass to Thornton was perfect touchdown pass in stride.

Brazzell had another one of those touchdown catches in stride against Kent State two weeks later.

Sure he did those against Chattanooga and Kent State, but we saw him hit Thornton in stride for a touchdown and Bru McCoy on a deep pass at Oklahoma that the previous quarterback would have struggled to complete.

Nico’s stat lines from the NC State and Oklahoma games through the air aren’t the most impressive you’ll see from a quarterback all season, but there are good reasons for that.

The offense had the looks it wanted on the ground against NC State, so there simply wasn’t a need for Nico to air it out with Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop feasting.

Nico’s production at Oklahoma was limited due to in-game adjustments by Josh Heupel. The defense was eating Oklahoma alive for about 3.5 quarters, the Vols were down a key piece in Lance Heard at left tackle, and everyone in Norman had watched in horror as Kendel Dolby was carted off the dangerous turf with a devastating leg injury.

Postgame clips even reveal Heupel telling Nico why he wasn’t feeling more aggressive against the Sooners.

In short, it’s great to know you have a quarterback that can make the important throws despite really not having to in the first month of the season.

THE DEFENSE IS AT ITS BEST SINCE?????

Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee’s offense was scary enough for SEC opponents to try and slow down in Josh Heupel’s first two seasons at Tennessee. The last thing they needed was for the Vols to field an intimidating defense.

Unfortunately for the rest of the SEC, the Vols defense has come out looking intimidating and then some in 2024.

It was well-known the Vols’ defensive front was a fearsome bunch coming into the season, but there’s a depth component unrivaled by the rest of the SEC.

James Pearce, Omari Thomas, and Omarr Norman-Lott were already forces to be reckoned with, and that edge rusher spot has flipped back and forth between Tyre West and Dom Bailey.

Bailey made one of the most acrobatic fumble recoveries you’ll ever see against NC State, and West’s momentum has carried over from the bowl game.

But look deeper and you’ll find just as many playmakers up front that weren’t projecting as starters this season.

Josh Josephs, an edge rusher who was lost in the shuffle last season with Pearce breaking out, recorded two forced fumbles and a sack against Oklahoma to take home SEC defensive lineman of the week.

Nose guard Elijah Simmons, who has long been criticized for his inability to stay healthy, inserted himself early and often against both the Sooners and Wolf Pack. Bryson Eason has been interchangeable with Omari Thomas in the defensive tackle spot.

It gets deeper. Jaxson Moi, the transfer nose guard from Stanford, wrecked two different plays late against Oklahoma. Jayson Jenkins, the third man in the edge rusher rotation behind Bailey and West who was on the brink of transferring in the offseason, recorded the safety at Oklahoma.

I haven’t even gotten to the linebackers or defensive backs yet.

The three man combo of Keenan Pili, Arion Carter, and Jeremiah Telander is the best looking group the Vols have had at linebacker by miles in the Heupel era.

Pili has proven he was the missing piece of the puzzle that was the 2023 defense, Telander is still the tackling machine the staff claimed he was last season, and Carter has openly said his biggest inspiration at linebacker is Al Wilson.

I’ve argued coaching is also a big reason why this group looks so much better than it did previously. This isn’t a knock on Brian Jean-Mary, but there’s a certain level of fire and intellect William Inge brings that wasn’t there in the first three seasons.

Perhaps the most impressive unit from a standpoint of progression is the secondary.

Fans were rightfully fearful of the large amount of change this group was undergoing as many of the important pieces from last year’s bunch either hit the portal or ran out of eligibility.

Add in the loss of Jourdan Thomas to an injury during camp and you really were looking at a whole new bunch. A bunch that Willie Martinez could sculpt and mold into a cohesive unit.

It’s clear this unit tackles better than it ever has under Josh Heupel. Not only does it tackle better, but it makes the hits add up for opposing offense.

Just look at some of the blows Jakobe Thomas has delivered to opponents over the last three weeks. One of them was a targeting, but the hit he stuck on Jovantae Barnes at Oklahoma was telling of new attitudes in the position group.

Then there’s Jermod McCoy. The Oregon State transfer has been a tremendous find for the Vols in the opening weeks of the season, taking home the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week honor for his performance at Oklahoma.

There are other pieces in this secondary that weren’t anticipated to contribute heavily this season but have found their ways into the mix.

Christian Charles and Christian Harrison both filled in nicely when Boo Carter left the Oklahoma game with an injury. Of course, I can’t forget about Will Brooks, whose pick six against NC State shifted all momentum in favor of the Vols near the end of the first half.

That concludes my State of the Vols address. I’ll have another in the fourth week of October when the second bye week hits.

Tucker Harlin
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