5. Tennessee Volunteers
Top Transfers: IOL Sam Pendleton, QB Joey Aguilar, IOL Wendell Moe Jr.
Biggest Losses: QB Nico Iamaleava, WR Squirrel White, DL Jayson Jenkins
Tennessee will be one of the more interesting teams this season in the SEC. Everyone knows why, because star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was forced to leave the program after skipping part of spring camp and demanding more NIL money.
Not having Iamaleava will really hurt Tennessee, but they’re bringing in an experienced QB from UCLA to replace him in Joey Aguilar. On top of that, Tennessee’s roster overall is very strong across the field.
The one thing however that could push Tennessee over the top this year (finally) is that the Vols’ coaching staff chose the team over Iamaleava. That decision will immediately win the locker room over, and that could be the difference between another average season and making it to Atlanta.
Tennessee welcomes Georgia to Knoxville week three this year, so it won’t take long to learn if the Vols are contenders or pretenders.