College Football Outlet Names X-Factors for Tennessee Volunteers

The Athletic named two potential X-factors for the Tennessee Volunteers for the 2024 college football season.

The Tennessee Volunteers have some headline-worthy names on both offense and defense this year. Cooper Mays is a veteran offensive lineman with All-American potential, quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a former top prospect who is set to start this year and edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has potential first-overall pick projections. But who are the x-factors for this Tennessee football team? One media outlet took a shot at finding them.

The Athletic released their list of potential x-factors for every single SEC team for the upcoming season. Some teams only had one name listed, while others like Tennessee, had multiple names. For the Volunteers, it was wide receivers Dont'e Thornton and Chris Brazzell II. Here is what The Athletic wrote:

"This is first assuming that with Squirrel White and a healthy Bru McCoy, the Volunteers have two good, dependable receivers for QB Nico Iamaleava. But for an offense in this day and age to be truly explosive, it needs that third and sometimes even fourth receiver. Dont’eThornton didn’t pan out as a transfer from Oregon last year while Chris Brazzell II arrives from Tulane after leading the Green Wavein receiving as a freshman. Does one emerge in 2024?"

Thornton transferred to Tennessee following the 2022 college football season. He was coming off of 17 receptions, 366 yards and one touchdown while averaging over 20 yards per reception. During 2023 at Tennessee, he reeled in 13 receptions for 224 yards and one touchdown and averaged 17.2 yards per catch in nine games.

As for Brazzell II, he racked up 44 receptions, 711 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt freshman for Tulane. The Volunteers have him listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds. He possesses a massive frame on the outside that could be an enormous threat for the Volunteers on offense.

Mike Matthews is another name in the wide receiver room that could fill that X-factor role. The former five-star true freshman showed off his playmaking ability in the spring game, and he could be an impact freshman that Iamaleava leans on during the 2024 season.

The Volunteers don't lack options in the wide receiver room but that also means it might take some time for them to figure out who their top guys are. Working in a new starting quarterback adds to that as well, but in Josh Heupel's offense, there shouldn't be much of an issue when it comes to moving the sticks through the air this season if everything pans out how they're predicted to.

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