Tennessee is back in the Associated Press preseason poll for the first time in four years.
Coming off an 11-win season in 2022, the Vols debuted at No. 12 in the poll on Monday, marking the program's first top 15 preseason billing in the AP Top 25 since 2016.
Tennessee was voted No. 10 in the USA TODAY/AFCA Coaches Preseason Top 25 last week.
The Vols were one of six SEC teams that are ranked with two-time defending national champion Georgia taking the No. 1 spot and Alabama (4), LSU (5), Ole Miss (22) and Texas A&M (23) rounding out the league representatives.
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As it stands, Tennessee will face three of those teams this season. The Vols host Texas A&M and Georgia on Oct. 14 and Nov. 18, respectively and will travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Oct. 21.
Tennessee opponents South Carolina, UTSA, Kentucky and Florida all received votes.
The Vols enter their 2023 campaign with high expectations after their Orange Bowl run a year ago, which included wins over Florida, LSU, Alabama and Clemson and a No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25 last November.
Though Tennessee lost some key pieces from its nation-leading offense, including quarterback Hendon Hooker and Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the Vols return quarterback Joe Milton III, who passed for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games last season.
"(Milton) is a completely different guy, not just player," offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said. "His attention to detail is elite. He came back after that Clemson game and was hungry to keep learning and pushing forward. He didn't rest on his lulls and say he had figured it out. He pushed and saw the success that he had and he knew what he could do. Now his mentality is matching that on how much he wants to learn and how he's consuming the game at all times. It's fun to be a part of right now and it's a special mindset that this kid has."
Milton has plenty to work with at receiver, too with Bru McCoy, Ramel Keyton and Squirrel White back after making contributions last season. Oregon transfer Dont'e Thornton is also expected to make an immediate impact in the receivers room.
Two of Tennessee's top rushers in Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright head up the backfield.
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Defensively, Tennessee showed improvement last season, particularly on third down and against the run but is still looking for consistency in the secondary where nearly everyone returns.
Leading tackler Aaron Beasley and BYU transfer Kennan Pili provide experience at linebacker and Roman Harrison is set to replace Byron Young at the LEO position with Tyler Baron setting the edge. Tackle Omari Thomas and Arizona State transfer Omarr Norman-Lott anchor the interior.
"Our kids know. We know what we bring to the table," defensive coordinator Tim Banks said. "We know how well we play. You can't win 11 games without playing great defense. We felt like we handled our business on that side of the ball but our ultimate goal is to play for championships. For us to do that, we have to continue to grow in our role."
Tennessee opens the season on Sept. 2 against Virginia at noon ET on ABC at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
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