Tennessee reports for fall camp on Monday and will begin practices on Tuesday at the Anderson Training Center.
The Vols—picked to finished second in the SEC East at media day—are looking to improve on an 11-win campaign a year ago and return a number of key players on both sides of the ball.
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Ahead of fall camp, here are three offensive storylines to look out for.
Joe Milton's team
For the first time since transferring to Tennessee in 2021, Joe Milton III enters fall camp as the starting quarterback.
After sitting behind Hendon Hooker much of the last two seasons, Milton is seemingly in firm control of the offense. He displayed as much in the final two games of the 2022 season, leading the Vols to wins over Vanderbilt and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel speaks to local press
Now the question is how much of that will carry over. Milton struggled initially in the system, starting the first two games of the 2021 season before being replaced by Hooker but in 10 appearances last season, he showed better command, passing for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Of course, a lot of eyes will be on the presumed No. 2 quarterback in the room in highly touted freshman and former five star prospect Nico Iamaleava. He enrolled early and even participated in bowl practices. His growth over the last seven months will be something to keep an eye on.
Experience returns at receiver
It would be hard for any offense to replace the kind of production that Tennessee had at wide receiver last season.
Jalin Hyatt shattered program records with 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to the Biletnikoff Award. He is now in the NFL and so is 2021 All-SEC player Cedric Tillman.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Joe Milton's arm strength headlines SEC Media Day
Though Hyatt and Tillman put up big numbers, there isn't expected to be that much drop off at the position. Tennessee returns enough experience there to feel optimistic that the group can pick up where it left off.
Bru McCoy, Ramel Keyton and Squirrel White all contributed heavily last season and return with all three turning in key performances against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Dont'e Thornton transferred in from Oregon and has the speed to potentially fill the void left by Hyatt. He and talented freshman Nathan Leacock went through spring practices and should have a good feel for the system.
Running backs look to stay healthy
Wide receiver isn't the only position where the offense return experience.
Tennessee has all of its run game production back with its top two rushers in Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright leading the way. Wright rushed for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while Small accounted for 734 more yards and 13 scores but the two were mostly sidelined in the spring with injuries.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Four Tennessee football players earn spots on Preseason All-SEC teams
Josh Heupel has emphasized the importance of the run game in his system and having two of the Vols' top backs at full health by fall camp is paramount.
Dylan Sampson, who is coming off of an impressive freshman season where rushed for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns, took advantage of more carries in the spring and is expected to take an even bigger step in the backfield. Freshmen Cam Seldon and DeSean Bishop made a case for roles with a strong spring as well.
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