2023 College Football Catalog: Previewing the Tennessee Volunteers
Just like the NFL season is right around the corner (the Vikings played their first preseason game last week), college campuses are preparing to welcome back their football squads for the fall season.
As the summer progresses we will be taking a look into how many of the FBS college football programs fared in 2022, what they did during the offseason, and how they can find success during the 2023 season. Today, we move deeper into the SEC, discussing the Tennessee Volunteers.
Other SEC previews:
Big 12 previews:
Big 10 previews:
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Maryland
- Michigan State
- Indiana
- Rutgers
- Purdue
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
Overview
2022 Results
- W vs. Ball State, 59-10
- W @ (17) Pitt, 34-27
- W vs. Akron, 63-6
- W vs. (20) Florida, 38-33
- W @ (25) LSU, 40-13
- W vs. (3) Alabama, 52-49
- W vs. Tennessee-Martin, 65-24
- W vs. (19) Kentucky, 44-6
- L @ (1) Georgia, 13-27
- W vs. Missouri, 66-24
- L @ South Carolina, 38-63
- W @ Vanderbilt, 56-0
- W vs. (10) Clemson, 31-14 (Orange Bowl)
Overall Record: 11-2 (6-2)
2022 All-SEC Members
- QB Hendon Hooker (First-Team)
- WR Jalin Hyatt (First-Team)
- OL Darnell Wright (First-Team)
- DL Byron Young (First-Team)
Recent Vikings Draft Picks
- RB Cordarrelle Patterson (2013 Draft; R1, P29)
Every Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Draft Pick
2023 NFL Draft Selections
- R1, P10: OT Darnell Wright (Chicago Bears)
- R3, P68: QB Hendon Hooker (Detroit Lions)
- R3, P73: WR Jalin Hyatt (New York Giants)
- R3, P74: WR Cedric Tillman (Cleveland Browns)
- R3, P77: LB Byron Young (Los Angeles Rams)
2023 Schedule
- 9/2 vs. Virginia
- 9/9 vs. Austin Peay
- 9/16 @ Florida
- 9/23 vs. UTSA
- 9/30 vs. South Carolina
- 10/14 vs. Texas A&M
- 10/21 @ Alabama
- 10/28 @ Kentucky
- 11/4 vs. UConn
- 11/11 @ Missouri
- 11/18 vs. Georgia
- 11/25 vs. Vanderbilt
Notable Additions
- QB Nico Iamaleava (five-star recruit)
- WR Nathan Leacock (four-star recruit)
- WR Cameron Seldon (four-star recruit)
- WR Dont’e Thornton (transfer portal, Oregon)
- TE McCallan Castles (transfer portal, UC Davis)
- TE Ethan Davis (four-star recruit)
- TE Emmanuel Okoye (four-star recruit)
- OT John Campbell Jr. (transfer portal, Miami)
- OT Shamurad Umarov (four-star recruit)
- DL Damevin Hobbs (four-star recruit)
- EDGE Caleb Herring (four-star recruit)
- EDGE Chandavian Bradley (four-star recruit)
- LB Arion Carter (four-star recruit)
- LB Keenan Pili (transfer portal, BYU)
- CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally (transfer portal, BYU)
- CB Jordan Matthews (four-star recruit)
Recruit/transfer information available via 24/7 Sports
Notable Losses
- QB Hendon Hooker (NFL Draft, Detroit Lions)
- WR Jalin Hyatt (NFL Draft, New York Giants)
- WR Jimmy Holiday (transfer portal, Western Kentucky)
- WR Walker Merrill (transfer portal, Wake Forest)
- WR Cedric Tillman (NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns)
- OT Darnell Wright (NFL Draft, Chicago Bears)
- IOL Jerome Carver (UDFA, Kansas City Chiefs)
- LB Byron Young (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams)
Transfer information available via 24/7 Sports
Keys to 2023
Joe or Nico for Tennessee’s QB?
When Hendon Hooker went down with a torn ACL last November, it gave us a chance to get a glimpse of Joe Milton at the quarterback position for Tennessee. Over the course of the two starts he got at the end of the season, he completed 30 of his 49 passes for 398 yards and 4 TDs without an intereption. This included Tennessee’s dominant victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
However, Tennessee also brings on five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava to the program this year, the No. 2 QB in the Class of 2023 behind only Arch Manning. While Milton is certainly the favorite to land the starting spot, it will be interesting to see if Iamaleava can put any pressure on the senior by the end of the year.
Can the Defense Put Pressure on Opponents?
Tennessee had a high-flying offense throughout the 2022 season, but the reason they had a pair of losses in the SEC last year (Georgia, South Carolina) came down to the fact that their defense simply couldn’t stifle the other top offenses in the conference.
This year, they need this unit to step up in a big way, especially with LB Byron Young no longer around as a pass-rusher, if they want to win the SEC. CB Doneiko Slaughter showed great promise down the stretch of the season, and he will be relied upon to stabilize a passing defense that was among the worst in all of college football, allowing over 280 yards per game.
Navigating a Tough Schedule
Tennessee has some tough draws in 2023, having to travel to Tuscaloosa and play Alabama in Week 8. They then immediately have a road game against Kentucky in Week 9 before having to play host to the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 12 after a couple very winnable games against Missouri and UConn. These three games very well could determine how Tennessee finishes in the SEC standings this season.
The Prediction
- W vs. Virginia
- W vs. Austin Peay
- W @ Florida
- W vs. UTSA
- L vs. South Carolina
- W vs. Texas A&M
- W @ Alabama
- W @ Kentucky
- W vs. UConn
- W @ Missouri
- L vs. Georgia
- W vs. Vanderbilt
Overall Record: 11-1 (7-1)
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
