It’s go time.
Welcome to game week.
It’s finally time for Tennessee to get the 2024 campaign rolling, as the Volunteers are set for a matchup against Chattanooga this Saturday afternoon. Josh Heupel’s group will look to get their feet wet as big favorites at home, with an opportunity to iron things out before a big test in Charlotte against NC State.
Here’s what I’ll be looking for on Saturday.
New look running back rotation
For the first time in the Heupel era we’ve gotten big turnover in the running back room. Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright were around seemingly for forever, but both have exited to the NFL. Now it’s Dylan Sampson’s show — but we know there will be a rotation. What exactly will that look like?
Former four-star athlete Cam Seldon is the obvious choice, but an injury has slowed him down this offseason. He was cleared for contact just last week, which brings some doubt to his true availability in the early season. That’s a wildcard, but you have to figure Seldon will eventually be a big factor.
And then there’s four-star freshman Peyton Lewis, who has been making plenty of noise in camp. Does the newcomer have the full trust of the staff right off the bat? DeSean Bishop has also generated some buzz going into his second year with the program.
Those are your four options — we know who will be at the top, but the rest of the pecking order will be interesting to see.
How many receivers will actually play?
It’s been a known thing since Heupel arrived in Knoxville — he’s going to play his top receivers and there won’t be much of a rotation. However, this is the deepest room he’s ever had and it certainly would appear that a rotation is likely this season.
Bru McCoy and Squirrel White are the no-brainers. Beyond that you get to big play threats like Dont’e Thornton and Chris Brazzell. Ever further down gets you to Kaleb Webb and Chaz Nimrod, who both saw playing time last season after a couple of injuries. That’s all without mentioning Nathan Leacock or true freshmen Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.
Tennessee could roll with as many as four or likely go as deep as six. Saturday may not be the best indicator as the Volunteers are expected to win big, but I’ll be paying attention early on to see if the personnel groupings change from drive to drive.
Secondary questions
Tennessee will debut their new-look secondary this weekend after losing all starters in the offseason. Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy and sophomore Rickey Gibson are set to start at cornerback, but that’s about all we know.
What happens at safety and nickel? True freshman Boo Carter has been working at that STAR position, but Christian Harrison has emerged as an option there.
What happens at safety? Does Tennessee start Will Brooks? Andre Turrentine figures to have a spot in the starting lineup, but you’ve also got MTSU transfer Jakobe Thomas in the equation, along with John Slaughter.
The Volunteers will likely try a couple of different things here on Saturday as they try to settle into a starting back five.
Downfield passing
For as much hype as Nico Iamaleava has generated, we still haven’t seen much downfield passing from the former five-star prospect. That’s not a knock on him either, he just simply hasn’t had the chance. Iowa played to keep everything in front of them during the Citrus Bowl, and Iamaleava ended up burning them with his legs.
Tennessee really didn’t have a downfield attack last season with Joe Milton. Will they get back to how things looked with Hendon Hooker in 2022? Squirrel White, Dont’e Thornton and Chris Brazzell certainly have the ability, but it’ll be on Nico to get it to them. This is one area where the Vols can see a ton of improvement quickly as the chemistry evolves.
Defensive line dominance
There’s no doubt about it, Tennessee’s best position group is the defensive line. James Pearce, Omari Thomas and company might just have a legitimate case to be the best in the SEC, thanks to three years of development under Rodney Garner.
Watch the amount of attention that Pearce gets on passing downs — who else can step up and win a one-on-one to get home?
With Chattanooga coming to town, this group should dominate up front and set the tone for the rest of the year. Look for Tennessee to control the line of scrimmage and make plenty of plays in the backfield on Saturday afternoon.