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Tennessee Vols’ place in the preseason Coaches Poll revealed on Monday

2025-08-04T14:20:56-04:00

Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Tennessee Volunteers didn’t get a whole lot of love from the media in the SEC preseason poll, coming in ninth out of 16 teams. The coaches around the country appear to have a similar estimation of Tennessee.

The 2025 preseason Coaches Poll came out on Monday, and the Vols came in at #18.

NEW The Preseason Coaches Poll just dropped!

Who should be higher? pic.twitter.com/klBAic09So
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) August 4, 2025

However, that puts Tennessee eighth among SEC schools, one off from their preseason media prediction.

Texas checks in at #1, followed by Georgia at 4, Alabama at 8, LSU at 9, South Carolina at 13, Ole Miss at 15, and Florida at 17.

Preseason polls are a bit of a crapshoot, as we see from year-to-year teams fall on their faces while others emerge. And most schools at the top are based on what they did last year and the belief in how that will carry over into 2024. It’s a bit unfair to a degree, but fortunately, the poll that matters the most - the CFP rankings - don’t come out until November, when two months of the season have taken place.

But preseason polls aren’t going anywhere, and the Vols start in a position at #18 where - if they can take care of business where they are supposed to and pull off a surprise along the way - could make the field for the second straight season.

Two former Tennessee Vols get cut from their NFL teams on Sunday

2025-08-03T21:48:58-04:00

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Well, that was fast.

Two former Tennessee Volunteers receivers appeared to have found new homes over the last week’s time. That ended on Sunday, as both were cut by their respective teams.

Ramel Keyton signed with the Tennessee Titans back on July 26 after Treylon Burks suffered an injury. With a very unproven (and frankly underwhelming group) behind Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, it seemed as though perhaps there was a potential opportunity there for Keyton. It lasted just 8 days, as he was waived on Sunday.

The @Titans have signed OL Arlington Hambright.

The Titans have waived WR Ramel Keyton.

READ https://t.co/LfwPY9UM4q pic.twitter.com/lsNHu9Ypmb
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 3, 2025

Marquez Callaway appeared to have started a feel-good story, doing well enough in a tryout to earn a spot with the San Francisco 49ers. His former Tennessee position mate, Jauan Jennings, is on the Niners.

But alas, that also ended on Sunday, just three days after he signed. Callaway was released to make room for the signing of veteran WR Robbie Chosen.

The 49ers have signed WR Robbie Chosen and released WR Marquez Callaway.

: https://t.co/euCh04M9yy pic.twitter.com/8VJoHqEbU9
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 3, 2025

Callaway made waves early in his career with the New Orleans Saints, with his best year coming in 2021 - 45 catches for 698 yards and 6 touchdowns. However, he hasn’t recorded a stat since the 2022 season.

The timing is quick for both, but there is at least still an entire preseason ahead, and opportunities could come about due to injuries or poor performance from some fringe players. We’ll see in the coming weeks if either can earn another opportunity.

ESPN lays out Tennessee’s 2025 College Football Playoff chances

2025-08-02T10:19:16-04:00

Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Tennessee’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff didn’t go as planned last season. The Volunteers ran into a buzzsaw in Columbus, something you can’t exactly feel too bad about considering how the rest of the bracket played out.

Josh Heupel and company are looking for another shot this season, flying completely under the radar this time. Tennessee was in the headlines for the wrong reasons this offseason, losing quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the transfer portal after spring practice. The staff scrambled and ended up bringing in former Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar.

Uncertainty under center is the main reason why everyone seems to have taken a step back on Tennessee’s 2025 projection. However, ESPN’s analytics remain high on the Volunteers heading into the season.

ESPN Allstate Playoff Predictor placed Tennessee tenth on the list of teams that could make the CFP. That’s much higher than the consensus for the Vols, who don’t even appear in several preseason top 25 polls.

Heather Dinich agrees that the metric is overvaluing Tennessee.

Agree or disagree with ESPN Analytics: Disagree. This is too high for the Vols, who return just 39% of their offense from last season’s playoff team (110th in the FBS). With former quarterback Nico Iamaleava at UCLA, and running back Dylan Sampson and the top three receivers from last season also gone, this team’s entire offensive identity is a question mark. The season opener against Syracuse in Atlanta is hardly a gimme to start the nation’s 15th-most difficult schedule. (ESPN, Dinich)

Tennessee will also be working in new starters four offensive line positions — all but left tackle. How productive this line can be in the run game powering DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas will go a long way towards determining Tennessee’s success this season. They’ll also need to find answers at receiver very quickly, especially with Georgia looming in week three.

Speaking of, the Georgia matchup is where Tennessee’s roadmap to the CFP really begins. They get the once again reloading Bulldogs at home very early this season and it could be a game that sets the tone for the rest of the season. A loss there and things get tough with at Alabama, Oklahoma and at Florida left on the schedule.

What the committee will like: Avoid going 0-2 against Bama and Georgia. This is the kind of schedule that helped Alabama finish as the committee’s top three-loss team last fall. The Tide had wins against Georgia, LSU and South Carolina, and that helped them stay in contention even with bad losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. If Tennessee can do the same, and earn two or three statement wins, it might be able to earn some forgiveness in the committee room for multiple slip-ups elsewhere. (ESPN, Dinich)

Tennessee will also have to handle Arkansas, Vanderbilt, at Kentucky and at Mississippi State. As we saw last season, you can’t sleep on any of these matchups as the likely favorite coming in. Syracuse in the opener can also go into this category, despite Fran Brown losing a ton of talent off of last year’s squad.

ESPN has Tennessee’s national title odds set at +6000 heading into the season. Their analytics department gives them just over a 38 percent chance to make the CFP field and a 2.3 percent chance to win the national title. Those odds are better than Texas A&M, Ole Miss and LSU who check in just behind the Volunteers.

Five-star athlete Salesi Moa commits to Tennessee over Utah

2025-07-31T15:45:29-04:00

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The Tennessee staff pulls a big one out of Utah.

One of Tennessee’s biggest targets left on the board made his decision today — five-star athlete Salesi Moa will be a Volunteer. The Utah product picked Tennessee over the home-state Utes this afternoon.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 ATH Salesi Moa has Committed to Tennessee, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’1 190 ATH from Ogden, UT chose the Vols over Utah and Michigan

He’s ranked as the No. 2 ATH in the ’26 Class (per Rivals)

“801➡️➡️865”https://t.co/EAiEyYOY0C pic.twitter.com/xZYi1EJg3I
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 31, 2025

The 6-2, 175 pound athlete could land on either side of the ball at the next level, but Tennessee had receivers coach Kelsey Pope as the primary recruiter on this case. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Moa checks in as the 31st ranked prospect in the class of 2026.

Moa plays at both receiver and safety at Fremont High School. The top overall prospect in the state of Utah, Moa caught 58 passes for 800 yards and ten touchdowns during his junior season. He snagged two interceptions from his safety position, both of which were returned for touchdowns.

Moa’s father played at Utah and spent a couple of seasons in the NFL before joining the UFC. He has two brothers that ended up playing for BYU before him.

Assuming he does land at wide receiver, Tennessee now holds a strong group of pass catchers that might get even stronger down the stretch. Moa joins Tyreek King and Legend Bey in the group, while the Volunteers are still in hot pursuit of five-star LSU commit Tristen Keys.

Overall, it’s Tennessee’s 23rd commitment of the 2026 cycle. Per 247Sports, the class now ranks ninth nationally with a few huge targets still out there.

Tennessee Vols projected to lose four-star recruit to North Carolina

2025-07-31T13:24:11-04:00

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Vols have been solid on the recruiting trail lately, with the acquisition of four-star athlete Joel Wyatt the latest feather in Josh Heupel’s cap.

However, things aren’t all great, as the Vols could be set to lose one of their four-star commitments to a border school. Both Sam Spiegelman and Chad Simmons of On3 Sports predict tight end Carson Sneed to flip from Tennessee to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Rivals' @samspiegs and @ChadSimmons_ have logged expert predictions for NORTH CAROLINA to FLIP 4-star TE Carson Sneed

Read: https://t.co/UDiRKfvDZS pic.twitter.com/mEB7khYOuV
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 31, 2025

If the name Sneed is familiar to Vol fans, it’s in part because his brother, Dayton, played for Tennessee but transferred to UNC during the offseason. Now, it appears as though both could be playing in Chapel Hill for Bill Belichick in the coming years.

Sneed is a four star and the #371 overall player, #17 tight end, and #12 player in the state of Tennessee, per the Rivals/On3 Sports industry rankings. He’s been committed to Tennessee since August of last year, when his brother was still on the roster. His list of offers is very impressive, including Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, and many others.

It’s a situation to keep an eye on, but it appears to be one that could have an unhappy ending for Tennessee.

Former Tennessee stars shipped to the Giants in MLB trade deadline deal

2025-07-31T09:24:56-04:00

Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

They’ll both head west.

The New York Mets made a big move on Wednesday to bolster their bullpen ahead of a run towards the playoffs. The Mets struck a deal with the San Fransisco Giants to acquire top reliever Tyler Rogers. They shipped a couple of former Tennessee baseball stars out west to get the deal done.

Both Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert — New York’s 10th and 12th ranked prospects — will join the San Fransisco organization.

We have acquired RHP Tyler Rogers from San Francisco in exchange for RHP José Buttó, RHP Blade Tidwell, and OF Drew Gilbert.

Welcome to New York, Tyler! pic.twitter.com/AHIEo2nCQg
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 30, 2025

Tidwell has made two starts this season for the Mets, making four appearances overall after getting the call-up from Syracuse. He held a 9.00 ERA over 15 innings pitched. Tidwell surrendered 23 hits and struck out ten in his brief stay in New York.

Gilbert, who has caught fire over the past couple of weeks at AAA Syracuse, held a .243 batting average with 12 home runs. Gilbert drew 41 walks and held a .347 on-base percentage.

The Tennessee duo now joins former Volunteer Mahi Ahuna, who sits as the Giants’ No. 10 overall prospect. Former signee Reggie Crawford also remains in the Giants’ system.

San Fransisco, who dipped below the .500 mark this week, quickly became sellers at the deadline. The Giants got a pretty loaded haul for Rogers, and now two former Tennessee baseball stars are set up to be a big part of their future.

Joey Halzle explains the lack of explosive passing plays last season

2025-07-31T08:06:14-04:00

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He’ll be looking to fix that issue this season.

If you think back to 2021 and 2022, there’s just been something missing from the Josh Heupel Tennessee offense. Heupel and company have been forced to play a different way since Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt left for the league, leaning on one of the strongest run games in the country.

What made Tennessee so dangerous though was the threat of that explosive, downfield passing attack. To be blunt, it just hasn’t been there during the last two seasons with Nico Iamaleava and Joe Milton running the show. No wide receiver really emerged as a consistent threat either.

Former offensive coordinator Alex Golesh leaving for the South Florida job is another factor you could perhaps point to.

Current offensive coordinator Joey Halzle knows this trend has to change. The challenge with getting that part of the offense going this season will be doing it with so many new faces, particularly at quarterback.

“That’s been the entire focus of the offseason,” Halzle said of getting the explosive passing game back. “Is when people are playing really really soft and dropping in coverage, how do we keep being explosive in the passing game? And that’s why, once again, we ran the ball the way we did last year. But it’s not going to be that we’re going to just say that that’s par for the course now.

“The entire focus of this offseason is how do we get our playmakers in space with the ball in their hands where they can run and do what we’ve recruited them here to do.”

Those playmakers now consist of Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley — the only three receivers with playing experience. Alabama transfer Amari Jefferson is coming off of injury, while true freshmen Travis Smith, Radarious Jackson and Joakim Dodson all will likely find their way to the field quickly.

Tennessee badly needs those top three to take big steps forward, and Kelsey Pope will have to get these freshmen up to speed over the next four weeks. Can Pope find a threat that can take the top off of defenses? Matthews and Brazzell have flashed in that category. Staley was a track athlete in high school. Travis Smith brings a 6-4 frame and a big wingspan to the table.

Finding your Cedric Tillman or Jalin Hyatt would go a long way towards solving this issue.

“So feel like we’ve made some changes,” Halzle said. “We’ve done some things differently, but we’re never going to lose sight of who we are, which is to be extremely aggressive with how we call it, to push the tempo, to make people play in space, but what are the one or two little different things that we can do that help free people up and when people are playing really, really soft and saying, alright, you’re not going over the top today, What are we going to do to attack that and not let them set the directive of the game.”

Halzle and Heupel countered last season with two tight end sets, which worked to start the season but fizzled in SEC play. Tennessee failed to score more than 25 points in its first four SEC games of the year, not even scoring a single point in the first halves against Arkansas, Alabama and Florida.

It’s not like the scheme wasn’t creating opportunities though. Drops here and there and a handful of key missed deep shots from Iamaleava neutered the offense. Had just a couple of those connected last season, we all could be having a pretty different conversation right now.

Straightening out those missed connections now is up to an almost entirely new group of quarterbacks and receivers, and apparently a couple of new offensive wrinkles from the coaching staff.

That’s something we’ll be watching closely when Tennessee arrives in Atlanta for the opener on August 30th.

Jermod McCoy’s status updated by Josh Heupel on Tuesday

2025-07-29T14:28:33-04:00

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers’ defense enters fall camp, which begins on Wednesday, with a big hole in its defense with Jermod McCoy still recovering from a torn ACL from January.

One of the biggest questions entering the season is how quickly McCoy can get back on the field for the Big Orange. As Josh Heupel noted on Tuesday at his press conference, there’s not a defined timetable, but they’re gradually working him back and making sure he can hit particular physical marks before he can get back onto the field.

“No timetables on him. There’s benchmarks, things that he’s got to accomplish within our training room to move on to the next phase of it. He’s handled it really well from the very beginning. Just his mindset, how he’s approached every single day. He’s done a really good job throughout the course of the summer. Periodically, you can see his drills, movement, explosive-type drills that he’s doing. Change, based on his rehab protocol, and he’s handled it extremely well. As we go through training camp, there will be a progression. How his body responds to some of those things will kind of dictate the time period of when he’s available for us.”

Thus, it doesn’t sound like you’re going to see McCoy on the field to start camp, and if you do, it’s likely individual work with a trainer or otherwise in a rehab situation. But given the timetable for an ACL tear for many players, which can be 8-9 months or longer in some cases, that’s not a surprise.

McCoy was tremendous in 2024 for the Vols, earning AP First Team All-SEC and Second Team All-American honors for the Vols, as well as making it to the semifinal round of the Jim Thorpe Award. He earned a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 87.0 last year, with a sterling mark of 89.6 in coverage.