The 2023-24 college football season is officially in the rearview as Michigan knocked off Washington to claim the National Championship on Monday night.
The day following the National Championship means one thing— it’s time for way-too-early top 25 rankings.
Entering Josh Heupel’s fourth season, Tennessee is a unanimous top 25 team in the way-too-early rankings with the Vols coming in between No. 11 and No. 22 in the various rankings.
There’s plenty of excitement for Tennessee entering the offseason and a large chunk of it comes from quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The former five-star recruit redshirted his freshman season but impressed in his first-career start in the Vols’ Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa.
Coming off a 9-4 (4-4 SEC) year, where does Tennessee rank as we look ahead to the 2024 season? Check it out here.
More From RTI: See Tennessee Football’s 2023 Season PFF Grades
ESPN (Mark Schlabach)
National rank: No. 17
SEC rank: No. 8
What they said about the Vols: “Volunteers fans got a sneak peek into the future in a 35-0 rout of Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. With Milton opting out of the bowl game, freshman Nico Iamaleava got the start. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards with one touchdown and three more scores rushing. The Los Angeles native was the No. 4 pocket passer in the 2023 ESPN 300. There are solid receivers returning in Squirrel White, Bru McCoy and Brazzell, who was Tulane’s leading pass-catcher in 2023. It will also help that center Cooper Mays and tackles John Campbell Jr. and Gerald Mincey (recently entered transfer portal) are coming back. Shoring up the secondary will be a priority in the spring after six defensive backs entered the transfer portal.”
CBS (Dennis Dodd)
National rank: No. 14
SEC rank: No. 8
What they said about the Vols: “Nico Iamaleava, the floor is yours. The much-hyped, NIL-fueled QB will be more hyped after an impressive Citrus Bowl debut. He’ll operate behind an offensive line that returns mostly intact. There is depth at running back, too.”
247sports
National rank: No. 11
SEC rank: No. 6
What they said about the Vols: “By a razor-thin margin, Tennessee comes in at No. 11 ahead of another SEC foe in the 12th spot. Former five-star Nico Iamaleava leads the Vols at quarterback in a new era of sorts offensively. He was responsible for four touchdowns in his first career start in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa and last season’s sensation at the position, Hendon Hooker, already deemed him “the chosen one” in Knoxville. That’s high praise given Hooker’s importance to the program and heightened success during his tenure. Like Penix did at Washington, Iamaleava is the type of talent that makes everyone around him better.”
USA Today (Paul Myberg and Erick Smith)
National rank: No. 12
SEC rank: No. 7
What they said about the Vols: “The first serious look at heralded quarterback Nico Iamaleava was a success in the team’s bowl win against Iowa. Now the rising sophomore gets the reins of the offense. The biggest concern is getting help at receiver to overcome some of his growing pains and get the offense closer to its elite level from 2022. The defense needs to build on a better performance this past season but took some hits in the transfer portal.”
Yahoo Sports (Nick Broomberg)
National rank: No. 16
SEC rank: No. 6
What they said about the Vols: “Nico Iamaleava showed why he’s the quarterback of the future for the Vols in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa. He should be fun to watch in Josh Heupel’s offense and WR Bru McCoy is returning after suffering a season-ending injury just five games into the season. Former Oregon State DB Jermod McCoy could make an instant impact in the secondary and the addition of WR Chris Brazzell from Tulane could be a sneaky good pickup.”
PFF (Max Chadwick)
National rank: No. 17
SEC rank: No. 6
What they said about the Vols: “Tennessee fans enjoyed a glimpse into the future in its 35-0 blowout win over No. 20 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. True freshman Nico Iamaleava made his debut in the contest and showed every bit of the talent that made him a top-10 recruit. He finished with an 85.0 passing grade against one of the nation’s best defenses.
On the other side, the Volunteers feature a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in edge defender James Pearce Jr. The sophomore’s 21.3% pressure rate trailed only Laiatu Latu among Power Five edges while his 21.9% pass-rush win rate was fifth in the nation.”
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan)
National rank: No. 11
SEC rank: No. 6
What they said about the Vols: “If you are looking for one of 2024’s top breakout players, look no further than Knoxville with former five-star prospect Nico Iamaleava taking over at quarterback for Joe Milton. Iamaleava had an impressive debut in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa, which only increased the hype and anticipation on his ’24 season. The California native is supported by an offensive line that will largely return intact, as well as a solid cast of skill players that includes running backs Dylan Sampson and Cameron Seldon and receivers Bru McCoy and Chris Brazzell II (Tulane transfer). Tennessee’s defense has made progress in recent seasons under coordinator Tim Banks, but this unit still has room to improve after giving up 5.83 yards per play in SEC contests in ’23. Edge rusher James Pearce is one of the SEC’s top returning defenders.”
On3 (Jesse Simonton)
National rank: No. 15
SEC rank: No. 7
What they said about the Vols: N/A
Action Network (Brett McMurphy)
National rank: No. 17
SEC rank: No. 8
What they said about the Vols: N/A
Bleacher Report (Joel Reuter)
National rank: No. 21
SEC rank: No. 8
What they said about the Vols: N/A
