Something strange is brewing in Knoxville. For the past three seasons, the Tennessee Volunteers have been making noise, clawing their way back into national relevance. An 11-2 season in 2022. A solid 9-4 in 2023. Then, in 2024, they cracked the College Football Playoff with a 10-3 finish. On paper, that kind of run should have catapulted them into the spotlight, earning them offseason hype and a seat at the table among college football’s elite.
But instead of being hailed as a rising juggernaut, the Vols have been met with… silence. No media frenzy. No “dark horse contender” predictions. No top-tier preseason rankings. Just crickets. And why? Because while the rest of the SEC was stocking up on firepower through the transfer portal, Tennessee hesitated. And in this conference, hesitation is the first step toward irrelevance.
The Insider Scoop: Where Tennessee Dropped the Ball
On February 18th, Tennessee insider Eric Cain didn’t mince words on his Locked On Vols podcast. He laid it out plain and simple—Josh Heupel and his staff didn’t do enough in the transfer portal.
“I’m not going to sit here and say Tennessee shouldn’t have gone out and got another wide receiver in the transfer portal,” Cain admitted. “They brought in Amari Jefferson—we’ll see what happens, sure. But they missed out on one or two offensive linemen that they might have liked more.”
Translation: Tennessee played it safe while everyone else was going all-in. They didn’t bring in the game-changers that could have taken them to the next level. Instead, they settled for just four new faces via the portal:
- Windell Moe (OL, Arizona)
- Amari Jefferson (WR, Alabama)
- Star Thomas (RB, Duke)
- Sam Pendleton (OL, Notre Dame)
That’s it. That’s the entire haul. No major defensive reinforcements. No instant-impact stars. Just a handful of solid but unspectacular additions.
The rankings tell the full story. 247Sports ranked Tennessee’s transfer portal class at a dismal No. 88 nationally—dead last in the SEC. Even On3, which was slightly more forgiving, placed them at No. 38 nationally and No. 10 in the SEC. That’s a brutal look for a program trying to break into college football’s upper echelon.
Tennessee vs. The SEC Arms Race
Here’s the problem—Tennessee wasn’t just standing still. They were watching their competition blow past them.
- Georgia? Reloaded. Again. Because of course they did.
- LSU? Landed key playmakers.
- Ole Miss? Pulled in one of the best transfer classes in the country.
- Texas A&M? Completely revamped their roster.
Meanwhile, Tennessee let key departures like Squirrel White and Jaylen Smith walk out the door without adequate replacements. It’s not that Tennessee’s roster is bad—it’s that in the SEC, if you’re not actively getting better, you’re falling behind.
And that’s exactly what’s happening.
Eric Cain summed up the growing frustration:
“The disrespect—it almost feels like nobody’s talking about Tennessee. Nobody’s factoring Tennessee to be a contender next year… They kept Nico Iamaleava, Boo Carter, Mike Matthews, Bru McCoy, Ricky Gibson, Bryson Eason, Arion Carter, DeShawn Bishop—huge moves! But they’re just not ‘sexy.’”
Tennessee retained talent, but they didn’t add enough. In today’s cutthroat college football landscape, standing pat isn’t good enough.
Josh Heupel’s Gamble: Stability Over Star Power
It’s clear that Heupel made a deliberate choice this offseason. Instead of going all-in on transfers, he prioritized stability—keeping his coaching staff intact, maintaining continuity, and trusting his development system.
That approach isn’t necessarily wrong. Tennessee still has weapons. Nico Iamaleava is set to take over at quarterback, and the defense, which ranked top six nationally in 2024, remains largely intact.
But here’s the reality: the media isn’t buying in. The offseason hype is all about teams that made splashy moves, and Tennessee simply didn’t. The perception is that the Vols are standing still while others are surging ahead.
As SEC Mike put it:
“Tennessee is doing the right things. They’re keeping continuity on the coaching staff… but perception matters. And right now, the perception is that Tennessee is slipping in the SEC race.”
Will This Bet Pay Off?
Josh Heupel is rolling the dice. He’s betting that his staff, his system, and his returning players will be enough to keep Tennessee competitive. If he’s right, he looks like a genius. If he’s wrong? The Vols could quickly find themselves an afterthought in the SEC power struggle.
Make no mistake—Tennessee still has the tools to compete. But in a league where everybody is loading up, standing still can be just as dangerous as taking a step back.
The disrespect from the media is already locked in. Now, it’s up to Tennessee to prove them wrong when the season kicks off.
Buckle up, Vols fans. One way or another, this is going to be a wild ride.
