NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Blocks away from where Tennessee will open its 2023 season against Virginia in 44 days, the program took center stage at the Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown Nashville on Thursday.

Head coach Josh Heupel, quarterback Joe Milton III, tight end Jacob Warren and defensive lineman Omari Thomas book-ended four days of SEC Media Days with comments on the program's post-NCAA investigation outlook, a returning quarterback and defensive improvement.

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Here are the takeaways.

A week before media day, Tennessee learned its fate following a years-long NCAA investigation in infractions committed by the previous coaching staff.

The result was a number of scholarship reductions, a loss of wins over a three year period and an $8 million fine. The program avoided a bowl ban.

MORE ON VOLREPORT: NCAA levies scholarship reductions, fine against Tennessee football program

The decision was largely considered a win for Tennessee, which is coming off its first 11-win season in more than 20 years and is entering the season with plenty of momentum—which might have been effected with the loss of a postseason.

The idea of self-imposing a ban in Heupel's first season in 2021 would have been considered a move to avoid it in the future but the thought didn't cross Heupel's mind.

"The easiest thing would have been for our administration and me, too, is to take a bowl ban in year 1, but that wasn't right," Heupel said. "The guys that were left were innocent guys and new staff. There's nobody left from the administration in our athletic department to the football side of it, football staff, to our players that was really involved."

"And so it was right to compete and give those guys an opportunity to fulfill or have an opportunity to fulfill all of the things that they wanted to inside of a college football season for those guys that were going out."

Though Tennessee will face scholarship limitations over the next few seasons, the coaching staff can sell the future of the program to recruits without the cloud of an investigation hanging over it.

"For how we handle recruiting, the guys that signed with us in the last 18 to 24 months that trust what we were saying to them, the transparency of the dialogue that we had with them, it was unbelievably satisfying to get over that hump," Heupel said. "You're not dealing with unknowns now, not dealing with other programs that are beating you up in some way sensationalizing what's going to happen.I was able to have great trust in what our administration was talking to us about.

"We were, you know, consistent and clear on that messaging to our recruits, and that's why we have been able to recruit at a really high level. But it's great to have it in the rear-view mirror, not something that you're driving by all the time."

Tennessee's fast-paced, high-scoring offense dominated storylines in college football last season.

Led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the Vols set program records and few defenses came up with the recipe to stop it.

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: SEC Media Days: Three takeaways from Day 4

Understandably, the passing game got much of the credit. Both Hooker and Milton accounted for a combined 4,106 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award.

There is balance in Heupel's system, though. He touted the emphasis the coaching staff puts on the run game, which includes all of its production from last season in running backs Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson.

"I think people get caught up in the perimeter numbers and the quarterback development and the quarterback numbers that are out out there," Heupel said. "Everybody that studies it understands that the secret to our sauce is the ability to run the football. (Offensive line) Coach (Glen) Ellerbe and I have been together, I think we are going on year eight now, three different stops. He does an unbelievable job from game plan to fundamentals to teaching overall scheme and concepts on the other side of the ball. Our guys continue to grow from year 1 to year 2.

"They play synchronized in the tempo that we play at, the ability to communicate and get everybody on the same page. Does an unbelievable job. So I appreciate you're recognizing all those things."

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