Tennessee begins the spring semester on Monday which marks the start of the Vols’ 2024 football calendar. As new and returning players arrive on campus Tennessee begins its winter workouts and starts building towards spring practice and eventually the season.
The Vols return a number of key players from last season’s team including veterans that have played an abundance of meaningful football.
But there’s still plenty of new faces arriving at Tennessee like there is just about everywhere in college football these days. Let’s take a look at three of the biggest storylines Tennessee football is facing this offseason.
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Who Replaces Tennessee’s Outgoing Offensive Line Starters?
Tennessee is looking to replace two starters along its offensive line from the 2023 season— left guard Ollie Lane and right tackles Gerald Mincey/Jeremiah Crawford.
Left guard should see a bigger competition. Former Texas transfer Andrej Karic started at left guard last season while Ollie Lane played center but injuries hijacked his season. Karic returned briefly against Kentucky before suffering a season ending injury.
The former Texas offensive lineman wasn’t great when he played but he is the highest returning player on last year’s depth chart. Veteran lineman Jackson Lampley is expected to return for his super senior season and he will also be in the thick of the competition. He started against Vanderbilt and Iowa to end the season and performed adequately.
It’s possible that a younger player bursts onto the scene or that Tennessee adds a transfer after spring practice but Karic and Lampley are the most likely options to replace Lane.
Finding another offensive tackle is the more precarious situation. Dayne Davis is Tennessee’s only returning offensive tackle, besides John Campbell Jr, who has played any meaningful football.
Tennessee is going hard after offensive tackles in the transfer portal— most notably LSU’s Lance Heard. Campbell shared a video of himself working at right tackle which could bode well for the Vols’ pursuit of Heard.
Heard is very much Tennessee’s first option to replace Mincey at offensive tackle. But if it isn’t him, things start getting interesting.
The Growth Of Tennessee’s Passing Game
Who starts on the offensive line will be a piece of this puzzle, but Tennessee’s passing attack needs to take serious steps forward this offseason.
It’s Nico Iamaleava’s show at quarterback and he will likely be an improvement over Joe Milton III. But Milton was far from the only issue in Tennessee’s passing game.
Can returning receivers like Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton take a step forward? Is Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II the true number one receiver that Tennessee was missing last season? Could either of Chas Nimrod or Kaleb Webb make surprising leaps forward? Is five-star freshman Mike Matthews good enough right away to be a starter for Tennessee?
These are all questions facing a Tennessee receiving core that underachieved last season. The Vols will potentially have time to figure it out in spring practice if Bru McCoy is not back from injury before then.
Tennessee has a lot of options at receiver. Can any of them propel the Vols’ passing attack forward?
What Does Tennessee’s Secondary Look Like?
Tennessee lost seven defensive backs to the transfer portal in December but it didn’t matter against a pitiful Iowa passing attack in the Citrus Bowl. As we enter the 2024 season, that group will face much stouter tests.
There seems to be no reason to panic at corner. The Vols have recruited well at that spot. Rickey Gibson III flashed in his opportunities last season and there’s still a lot to like about Jordan Matthews. Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy is perhaps Tennessee’s best addition in the portal to date and the Vols also added Temple’s Jalen McMurray.
Jourdan Thomas seems close to a lock to start at STAR next season after performing well in a number of opportunities there the back half of the season.
But safety is a major question and potential weakness after Tennessee lost Jaylen McCollough to graduation and Wesley Walker to the transfer portal. Andre Turrentine, Christian Charles and John Slaughter are back and Tennessee added MTSU transfer Jakobe Thomas.
But there’s very little experience or highly touted young players at the spot.
