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The Vols are good.
Tennessee Facts:
Location: Knoxville, TN
Enrollment: 22,815
Stadium: Neyland Stadium
Capacity: 101,915
Last Bowl: 2022 Orange (31-14 W over Clemson)
All-Time Bowl Record: 30-25
All-Time Record vs UConn: First meeting
Meet the Vols
Hendon Hooker exits after throwing for 3,135 yards with an astonishing 27:2 TD:INT ratio in just ten games, as he tore his ACL in the shocking 63-38 loss at South Carolina. Good news for UConn fans? Not really, as Michigan transfer Joe Milton waits in the wings. Milton started the season finale, a 56-0 win over Vanderbilt, and the Orange Bowl victory over Clemson, throwing for 971 yards, ten TDs and no picks. If something were to happen to Milton, the second rated recruit in the nation, Nico Iamaleava is in position to back up.
Leading rusher Jaylen Wright returns, along with second leading rusher Jabari Small. Wright rushed for 875 yards and ten TDs, while Small rushed for 734 yards and 13 TDs. Milton is also a threat to run, and sophomore Dylan Sampson, who rushed for 131 against Vanderbilt as a true freshman, is poised to get some carries. Sampson had an average of 6.8 ypc and six TDs. This is a good unit that should cause some issues for the Huskies.
You don’t throw for over 4,000 yards as a unit without receivers. Biletnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt exits after totaling 1,267 yards and 15 TDs. USC transfer Bru McCoy steps up to be WR1 after he caught 52 passes for 667 yards. First Team All-Name Squirrell White, who had 481 yards as a true freshman looks to amp up his production as well. At 5-10 165, he is super fast. The Vols also add Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton, who had 366 yards last year for the Ducks, as well as UC Davis TE McCallan Castles, who had 928 yards the past three seasons.
Offensive line takes a bit of hit as 3rd team All-American Darnell Wright, the 10th overall draft pick to the Bears, and 3rd team SEC performer Jerome Carvin exit. Three starters return, including C Cooper Mays, RG Javontez Spraggins, and RT Gerald Mincey. The unit adds Miami (FL) transfer John Campbell, and Texas transfer Andrej Karic. A lot of highly touted recruits make the unit and they’ll be one of the better units in the SEC, and nationally.
The defensive line was strong last season, allowing an average of 116 ypg, and 3.3 ypc, with 31 sacks. The unit loses Byron Young, 3rd round draft pick of the LA Rams, and two other starters, LaTrell Bumphus, and Damon Terry. Being Tennessee, there is plenty of talent waiting in the wings. Highly touted recruit Tyler Baron is expected to step into a starting DE role, while lone returning starter Omari Thomas will anchor the unit. They add Arizona State transfer Omarr Norman-Lott, to shore up the depth.
At LB, plenty of experience returns, including last year’s leading tackler Aaron Beasley (76 tackles, 10 TFL). BYU transfer Keenan Pili, who accrues 25 starts and 190 tackles in four years in Provo arrives. Fourth leading tackler Tamarion McDonald returns (56 tackles, 4 TFL, 6 PBU), but the unit does lose fifth leading tackler Jeremy Banks (53 tackles, 4.5 TFL), and Juwan Mitchell (43 tackles). The depth behind the starters is a bit young, but this is still a strong unit.
The secondary struggled at times last year with injuries, to the point of playing a walk on against Alabama (52-49 W). The unit gave up an average of 290 passing yards per game, and a 62.6% completion rate. Good news is, they return CB Warren Burrell, who was lost after two games to injury, and add another BYU transfer in Gabe Jeudy-Lally (47 tackles last season). All starters return with the exception of S Trevon Flowers, but he was third leading tackler last season with 57. Assuming the unit stays healthy, it should improve on their production last year.
HC Josh Heupel is in year three in Knoxville, amassing an 18-8 record so far. He took over a 3-7 team in 2020, improving to 7-6 in 2021 and 11-2 last season. UConn fans should remember Heupel from his UCF days. Tennessee gets Georgia and A&M at home, but Alabama on the road. OOC schedule also includes a neutral site game in Nashville against UVA, a home game against UTSA, and FCS Austin Peay. The question for this team is can they displace two-time defending national champs Georgia in the SEC East. A very tall task.
Prediction:
These games are never easy to predict, from a score perspective, anyways. Tennessee is going to win, and UConn will cash their check ($1.8M) for their troubles. The game is sandwiched between SEC road games against Kentucky and Missouri, while Georgia looms two weeks after this contest. Will UT be resting players after a stretch of a home game against A&M, at Alabama, and at Kentucky? Best hope for UConn is be competitive, have their potential draft picks perform well, and leave healthy.
42-14 UT
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