Oklahoma 2025 Football Opponent Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

The Sooners’ game against Tennessee last year marked the beginning of their downward spiral.

OU entered its home showdown against the Volunteers 3-0, bringing ESPN’s College GameDay to Norman. Oklahoma failed to take advantage of the national attention, losing 25-15. After the loss, the Sooners went 3-6.

The Sooners and Volunteers will meet again in Norman on Nov. 1.

Here’s what to know about Tennessee:

2024 recap

Tennessee looked like a favorite to win the national championship early in the season.

The Volunteers won their first three games — against Chattanooga, NC State and Kent State — by a combined 178 points. They then beat Oklahoma comfortably to improve to 4-0 and No. 4 in the AP Poll.

Tennessee, though, stumbled in its fifth game, losing 19-14 to Arkansas. The Volunteers won four SEC games in a row after that to improve to 8-1 before falling to Georgia. They capped off the regular season with wins against UTEP and Vanderbilt, earning the No. 9 seed in the College Football Playoff.

The Volunteers failed to keep up with eventual national champion Ohio State in the first round of the CFP. The Buckeyes took an early 21-0 lead and eventually won 42-17, ending Tennessee’s season.

Key returners

RB DeSean Bishop (So.), RB Peyton Lewis (So.), WR Chris Brazzell II (Jr.), TE Miles Kitselman (Sr.), DL Jaxson Moi (Sr.), DE Joshua Josephs (Sr.), LB Arion Carter (Jr.), CB Jermod McCoy (Jr.), DL Bryson Eason (Sr.), CB Boo Carter (So.).

Notable transfer portal additions

QB Joey Aguilar (UCLA), OL Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame), OL Wendell Moe Jr. (Arizona), CB Colton Hood (Colorado).

Strengths

Tennessee returns several key defenders from its 2024 squad.

Up front, they have a senior-laden group with Moi, Josephs and Eason. At linebacker, Carter led the Volunteers with 68 total tackles in 2024, also registering 29 solo tackles and an interception. In the secondary, McCoy and Carter combined for five interceptions and 1.5 sacks.

Weaknesses

Practically all of the Volunteers’ offensive playmakers from 2024 are no longer on the team.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA, and running back Dylan Sampson was a fourth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns in the Draft. Tennessee’s three leading receivers from 2024 — Dont’e Thornton Jr., Squirrel White and Bru McCoy — all either graduated or transferred.

Aguilar will likely start at quarterback for the Volunteers. He previously played at Appalachian State and transferred to UCLA after the 2024 season. But once Iamaleava announced his transfer, he opted to fill the opening at Tennessee.

Aguilar started 24 games in the last two seasons for the Mountaineers. In 2024, he went 5-6 behind center, completing 55.8% of passes for 3,002 yards, 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Much of Tennessee’s offensive success in 2025 will depend on the production of Bishop and Lewis, who backed up Sampson last year. Those two showed flashes of greatness, combining for six touchdowns and nearly 800 rushing yards.

How do the Volunteers match up with OU?

The most likely scenario for the Sooners’ matchup with Tennessee is a defensive battle.

Both the Sooners and Volunteers return quality veterans, and with Brent Venables now leading OU’s defense, the unit is expected to improve.

Oklahoma must force Aguilar into uncomfortable situations, as the quarterback is prone to turnovers.

The Sooners also must be multi-dimensional on offense and find a balance.

They rushed for just 36 yards as a team in last year’s meeting, averaging just 1.1 yards per rush. Running against a defense like Tennessee’s will once again be difficult, but production through the air from John Mateer may open up lanes for OU’s running backs.