Elijah Herring explains what 'UT being back' has done for Tennessee's program

Tennessee concluded its annual spring game last week, giving fans a taste of what things might look like in Year 3 under head coach Josh Heupel. Many are expecting more of the same.

After Tennessee put together an 11-win campaign in 2022 and came up just short of a College Football Playoff berth, there’s a certain energy in the air in Knoxville. Fans could sense it at the spring game, where 58,473 fans gathered to cheer on the team.

“They can feel that UT is back,” linebacker Elijah Herring said. “They feel that everybody wants it, everybody is expecting us to win, everybody is expecting us to do good things. We expect the same things out of ourselves.”

The Volunteers have some major questions to answer if they do hope to repeat the success of a superb second season under Heupel.

For one, starting quarterback Hendon Hooker is gone after finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Hooker did it all for the Vols last year, throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions, while also rushing for 430 yards and five scores.

His ability to march the Vols right up and down the field made life easy on the rest of the team.

But the overall attitude and sense of purpose the Volunteers displayed last season didn’t necessarily originate with Hooker, though he certainly embraced it and embodied it.

“It really started with coach Heupel and it starts with everybody else coming in following his directions,” Elijah Herring explained.

Taking over at quarterback this season will be former Michigan transfer Joe Milton, who patiently waited behind Hooker last season for his opportunity. He made the most of it when it came by way of a season-ending injury for Hooker, blasting Vanderbilt and then topping Clemson in the Orange Bowl to finish the season strong.

He’ll be looking to help Tennessee roll forward with the momentum that guys like Herring clearly felt from fans at this year’s spring game.

The schedule should be pretty navigable in the first month.

First up is a game against Virginia at home in Knoxville, with the Cavaliers still trying to find their footing under coach Tony Elliott. Next up is what should be a tune-up against Austin Peay before a trip to take on Florida.

Florida is losing quarterback Anthony Richardson to the NFL Draft and is in the middle of a major rebuild under coach Billy Napier, so Tennessee will enter as a solid favorite.

Then it’s a home date against UTSA and a home date against an improving South Carolina team to wrap up the month of September.

By then, fans will have a pretty good idea whether UT is really back, as Elijah Herring claims.