🏈 College Football
Tennessee Volunteers 2025 Season Preview
With no divisions in the new-look SEC, Tennessee’s path to Atlanta is wide open — if the run game stays dominant and Joey Aguilar doesn’t turn it over. Georgia comes to Knoxville. Alabama doesn’t. If the Vols ever wanted a clean shot, this is it.
New QB. Same Goal. Get to Atlanta.
🧠 Key to the Season:
Run the Damn Ball
Tennessee’s entire offense is built on tempo, rhythm… and pounding the rock.
Last year, the Vols went 8–0 when they rushed for 185+ yards. They were 2–3 when they didn’t. It’s not a trend. It’s a law. Over the last three seasons, they’re a perfect 23–0 when hitting that 185-yard mark.
Dylan Sampson is gone, but the pieces are still there. If the ground game stays on schedule, Tennessee’s offense stays lethal … no matter who’s under center.
💪 Key Player:
Joey Aguilar, QB (Senior)
Aguilar brings in 25 starts, 6,760 yards, and 56 touchdowns from App State. He’s got the legs, the deep ball, and the confidence to run this system.
He also throws picks. That’s gotta stop.
Still, one thing he has going for him in Knoxville? He’s not Nico. And that alone buys him breathing room with the fanbase.
🔁 Top Transfer In:
Sam Pendleton, OG (Sophomore)
Pulled from Notre Dame’s two-deep, Pendleton is a rising mauler with the versatility to play across the interior line. He’s young, he’s physical, and he’ll be a key cog in the Vols’ effort to protect Aguilar and get the run game back to full speed.
📤 Biggest Transfer Loss:
Nico Iamaleava, QB (Sophomore)
Let’s not rewrite history. Nico had the talent. The tools. The ceiling.
But after a messy offseason exit, he’s now at UCLA and may turn into a Big Ten problem. Whether Tennessee is “better without him” or not doesn’t matter now. It’s Aguilar’s job until it isn’t.
📆 Key Game:
Georgia – September 13
This is the tone-setter.
Georgia has owned Tennessee since 2016. This year, the game is in Knoxville, and it’s Tennessee’s SEC opener.
Win, and the Vols position themselves as a legit title contender in the no-division SEC. Lose, and they’re playing from behind with Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky still ahead.
🔟 Top 10 Vols to Watch:
- Jermod McCoy, CB – Corner 1. Legit cover guy.
- Joshua Josephs, EDGE – Veteran disruptor off the edge.
- Bryson Eason, DT – Interior anchor.
- Lance Heard, OT – SEC-ready tackle.
- Arion Carter, LB – Field general.
- Rickey Gibson III, CB – Aggressive, instinctual playmaker.
- Miles Kitselman, TE – Dependable target over the middle.
- Boo Carter, S – Rising sophomore with range.
- Treeveon Simmons, WR – Sleeper breakout threat.
- Joey Aguilar, QB – The X-factor.
📊 Fun Stats from 2024:
- 2nd Quarter Scoring: 153 points (most in the SEC)
- Tackles for Loss: 100 total — disruptive defense
- 4th Down Conversions: 61% (elite efficiency)
They played fast, hit hard, and stayed aggressive. Expect more of the same.
🧨 Unc’s Outlook
Last year’s 10-win season didn’t get enough respect — they beat Alabama and Florida and were in the CFP conversation until late.
This year? The path is still open.
There’s no Georgia in the way of the division… because there’s no division anymore. The top two teams in the SEC make it to Atlanta, and Tennessee has the schedule and the roster to be in that mix.
- No Texas.
- No LSU.
- No Mizzou.
- No South Carolina.
- No Texas A&M.
- Georgia comes to Knoxville.
- Only one road game in November.
If the defense keeps flying around and Aguilar limits turnovers, this team can win 9–10 games again.
🎯 The Call:
Win Total Projection: 8.5
Predicted Record: 9–3
If you’re trying to get to Atlanta, it’s now or never.
🟢 Game Buckets:
Likely Wins:
- ETSU
- New Mexico State
- UAB
- Vanderbilt
Toss-Ups (50/50):
- Georgia
- Arkansas
- at Florida
- at Kentucky
- at Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
- Syracuse (Atlanta)
Likely Losses:
- @ Alabama