Fox Sports Rank Vols In Preseason Top 5

Fox Sports analyst RJ Young released his preseason top-25, and the Tennessee Volunteers come in as a top-five squad.

Coming off of an 11-win season that saw the Tennesee Volunteers win the Orange Bowl, expectations are sky-high for the program entering year three under Josh Heupel.

Fox analyst RJ Young sees a continuation of this success, as he ranked Tennessee fifth in the nation heading into Spring Ball. The Vols are behind Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC. Despite a looming QB competition, many, including Young, believe that Tennesee could soar to new heights in the 2023 season. 

📊 @RJ_Young drops his Spring Top 25! 📝

Do you agree with his list? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/PZE47togGB

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) March 8, 2023

Young's biggest concern for Big Orange? The secondary. When explaining his number 5 ranking for Tennessee, Young wrote, "As great as Hendon Hooker and Josh Heupel's offense was last year, the Vol defense was just that bad." Young cites four separate 300-yard passing performances allowed by the Vols' defense in 2022 and the 1500+ yards allowed on the ground.

Young elaborated that even a small step forward for the Tennesee secondary would keep the momentum building for the defense and, in turn, the program when it comes to pursuing the likes of Georgia and the College Football Playoff.

One question mark for Tennessee is the aforementioned quarterback battle we will see in the spring. Joe Milton, the veteran who learned under Hendon Hooker, will get the first swing. Milton turned heads in the Volunteers' Orange Bowl victory over the Clemson Tigers, going 19-28 for 251 yards and three touchdowns, with a whopping 178.5 passer rating.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will compete with Milton. Iamaleava has been raved about as a prospect by many. Iamaleava threw for 5,234 yards passing and 75 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions in his high school career. He is expected to come in on day one and give Milton a run for his money.

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