The Positives From the 2024 Season for the Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during a college football game between Tennessee and UTEP at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers made their first College Football Playoff in 2024. Here are the positive moments that led to what most would deem a successful season for the Vols.

The Tennessee Volunteers enterred the season projected to finish behind the likes of Alabama, LSU, Missouri, and Ole Miss by the SEC Media. Yet, they managed to finish third in the conference and were selected to compete in their first ever College Football Playoff. Here are the Positives from the 2024 Season.

The Positives From the 2024 Season for the Tennessee Volunteers

Rushing Attack Continues To Be Incredible
For the second straight season under head coach Josh Heupel, the Tennessee Vols led the conference in rushing yards. Without the All-SEC performance from Dylan Sampson and Co., the Volunteers would likely have struggled to put games away against the likes of Alabama, Oklahoma, and Florida. The Vols averaged 225.8 yards per game on the ground in 2024, protecting first-year starting QB, Nico Iamaleava as much as they could.

third-team
In year one of starting, Nico Iamaleave was sacked (30) times behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him. He didn't have a single All-SEC first, second, or third-team receiver or tight end. And despite the lack of help around him, he still managed to win 10 games and confirm that he's a good enough athlete to create and compete even when the parts around him aren't quite good enough. He's going to need to clean up some of his own issues in terms of accuracy on a consistent basis, but he's going to need more help in 2025 around him.

Tennessee Defense is Back
Sure, this team loses James Pearce to the draft, and the injury to All-American corner Jermod McCoy are big losses, but this Tennessee defense won football games for the Vols in 2024, and they will be returning most of the impactful players in 2025. EDGE rusher Anthony Josephs steps in to help replace James Pearce, with Jordan Ross developing behind him. The Vols kept Boo Carter on the roster this offseason as well and he's entering year two as an impactful player on this roster.

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• Texas A&M Aggies Commit Aaron Gregory Open To Take An Official Visit To Tennessee
• BREAKING: Amari Jefferson Transfers To Tennessee Volunteers
• Tyran Evans Commits To Tennessee Volunteers Football
• Tennessee DB Transfer Christian Harrison Commits To Cincinnati Bearcats
• Mike Keith Named The New "Voice Of The Vols"
• Tennessee TE, Holden Staes Commits to Indiana Football
• Tennessee Lady Volunteers Lose To LSU Tigers In A Close Contest
• No. 1 Tennessee Basketball Crushed By Florida as Offense Disappears

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