Analyzing Tennessee’s chances to win 10 games, make College Football Playoff

Just two years removed from an 11-win season, Tennessee is hopeful that it can make the College Football Playoff in 2024. The Volunteers have never made the CFP since its inception in 2014, but with the expanded 12-team field will have a greater chance than in the past.

Tennessee is currently has an over/under of 9.5 wins for the 2024 season according to FanDuel. If it can reach the 10-win mark, especially while facing a tough SEC schedule, one would think that could be enough to get the Vols in the playoff.

Brent Hubbs of VolQuest joined On3‘s Andy Staples to highlight the areas Tennessee needs to step up this season to reach the College Football Playoff. Defensively, it starts in the secondary where the Vols lost a number of key playmakers from a season ago including Jaylen McCollough and Kamal Hadden.

“Certainly you can make that case (for a playoff berth) without a doubt,” Hubbs said. “That’s the fun part of it. Tennessee’s in a conversation that they haven’t been in much over the last decade-and-a-half. There’s a relevancy factor there that hasn’t been there. You can get every beat writer on here for every team that’s projected as a playoff team with the exception of maybe Georgia, but there’s a few teams you go ‘that should be a playoff team.’

“There’s a lot of people with a lot of holes. The transfer portal makes those holes very fillable very fast in a lot of ways if you hit. That’s why you look at this thing, in particular Tennessee, Jermod McCoy at corner is really important for Tennessee. You look at Jakobe Thomas, who’s a transfer from MTSU. He’s got to hit because you’re replacing two safeties on the back end who had a ton of experience.”

McCoy and Thomas will begin working to replace the talent Tennessee lost working during spring practice. The Vols were the No. 8 passing defense in the SEC this past season and can’t afford to slip down any lower if they hope to stay competitive.

Offensively, Tennessee looks to once again have a chance at being one of the most explosive units in the country. Former five-star Nico Iamaleava is prepared to take over as the starting quarterback after leading the Vols to a Citrus Bowl victory. He’ll have no shortage of talented receivers at his disposal either with Bru McCoy and Squirrel White set to return.

The running game should also again be strong, but there’s one position Hubbs noted will be a question mark entering 2024. Tennessee currently has only two tight ends on the roster, with one being Notre Dame transfer Holden Staes.

Staes had 15 catches for 176 yards and four touchdowns this past season with the Fighting Irish. The Vols needed him to take another step forward as they are expecting him to step in as the starter.

“There’s no more important position for Josh Heupel’s offense, outside of quarterback, than the tight end spot,” Hubbs said. “They play with a tight end almost exclusively on offense. They don’t go four and five-wide even though there’s depth at receiver. They want that tight end in there because they can manipulate so much in the run game with the ability to flex the tight end out, move him back and move him back in. Make him an end line blocker, an H-back. Can Holden Staes handle that?

“Ethan Davis, can he be physical enough? Where are they at that tight end position? They only really have two tight ends on the roster. Cole Harrison will be a third, who arrives this summer. But I’m not sure he’s gonna be able to help them after being a high school senior graduating in May. If there’s one position they can ill-afford an injury outside of quarterback, it’s the tight end position. They must hit with Staes and they must stay healthy there for this offense to achieve what fans expect them to achieve with Nico, the balance in the run game and what we saw two years ago that everybody wants to try to get back to.”

Ultimately, it will be an interesting season with Tennessee, which will need to beat at least one of Oklahoma, Georgia or Alabama to reach 10 wins and the College Football Playoff. In order to do so, these are the areas that most need addressing.