A chaotic spring came to an end for Tennessee football last month.
The Vols, who were coming off of their first-ever College Football Playoff run, already had a number of key pieces to replace before returning starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava bolted for the transfer portal.
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Iamaleava’s departure and the addition of ex-Appalachian State and UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar, who will not arrive in Knoxville until the summer, might change the outlook for Tennessee ahead of the offseason.
The Vols, who have been a consensus ranked team in the offseason rankings circuit, cracked the top 20 of Sporting News' post-spring top 25 last week, coming at No. 18.
Tennessee is down six spots from where it was ranked in the outlet's "Way-Too-Early Top 25" in January where it debuted at No. 12.
“Quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA, and UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee," Sporting News' Bill Bender wrote. "Will this swap pay off for the Vols and fifth-year coach Josh Heupel, who is 37-15 and coming off a CFP appearance? DeSean Bishop, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry last season, and Peyton Lewis form a solid backfield.
"Linebacker Arion Carter, who had 68 tackles in 2024, and cornerback Jermod McCoy, who could be the first cornerback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft – lead a solid defense."
Bishop and Lewis will be tasked with replacing the production of Dylan Sampson, who had a record-shattering junior campaign in 2024 before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the NFL Draft last week.
The Tennessee defense, which was a top 10 unit last season, was key in carrying the Vols to the playoff, and though it has lost first round draft pick James Pearce Jr. off the edge and Omari Thomas and Omarr Norman-Lott in the interior, Carter and McCoy make for two strong foundational pieces as they try and build another nationally recognized defense.
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A lot of Tennessee's success will hinge on the quarterback. Evan as a newcomer, Aguilar is the most experienced of the group, which includes two other scholarship players in redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre.
Merklinger appeared in just two games a yer ago, while MacIntyre enrolled in January.
The Vols will also need to take a step at wide receiver where they are largely unproven. Chris Brazzell II is the veteran in the room with former five-star prospect Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley expected to take larger roles in their second seasons in the program.
Tennessee is set to open its 2025 season against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 30.
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