1/9/2024 football Edit

Where Tennessee stands in final AP Top 25 poll of 2023 season

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) celebrates his second touchdown run against Iowa with wide receiver Kaleb Webb during the first half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (The Associated Press)

Noah Taylor • VolReport

Managing Editor

Noah is a graduate of the UT College of Journalism & Electronic Media and has covered Tennessee football since 2019. He joined Rivals in 2022.

The 2023 college football season concluded with Michigan hoisting the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy late Monday night and with it, the final release of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Tennessee, which spent all but one week ranked in the poll, completed a 9-4 campaign with a convincing 35-0 rout of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

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The performance moved the Vols up eight spots to No. 17 in the final rankings, marking the second-straight year that they have finished the season ranked under head coach Josh Heupel.

Tennessee's final outing did more than move it up in the polls, though. It provided a positive start to the Vols' highly anticipated 2024 season.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava and sophomore running back Dylan Sampson impressed in their first career starts.

A heralded five-star recruit in the 2023 class, Iamaleava lived up to the billing vs. Iowa. He finished 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown while rushing for three more in a bowl game MVP showing.

Sampson rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries and averaged 6.7 yards per carry as Tennessee posted more than 230 rushing yards on a Hawkeyes defense that entered the game ranked top 10 nationally in stopping the run.

Defensively, the Vols' front dominated with EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. putting the stamp on a strong sophomore season with one sack, tackle for loss and an interception return for a touchdown.

Though Tennessee returns a balance of experience and promising young talent at key positions, it will have its work cut out for it next season.

Four teams on the Vols' 2024 schedule finished ranked in the AP poll, including No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Alabama, No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 21 NC State.

Georgia (13-1) ended its season with a 63-3 thumping of Florida State in the Orange Bowl while Alabama (12-2) came up short of a spot in the national title game with an overtime loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Oklahoma (10-3) lost to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl and NC State (9-4) fell to Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next season, Tennessee has an opportunity to make the cut with games against Florida (Oct. 12), Alabama (Oct. 19) and Kentucky (Nov. 2) at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols NC State in a neutral site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (Sept. 7) and go to Oklahoma (Sept. 21), Arkansas (Oct. 5) and Georgia (Nov. 16).

Tennessee opens its season against Chattanooga on Aug. 31 in Knoxville.

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