On3 Roundtable: Tennessee football newcomers ‘look the part’ at fall camp

Football season is inching closer at Tennessee with fall camp officially underway. As players battle for reps heading into the year, camp also serves as an opportunity for new faces on the roster to make a name for themselves.

The Vols should have no shortage of options in that regard after signing the No. 12 class this offseason according to On3’s Team Recruiting Rankings. Volquest‘s Brent Hubbs joined JD PicKell for an On3 Roundtable discussion, where he broke down which players have stood out in the early going.

“I think it’s the eye test,” Hubbs said. “It’s the look-the-part. When you look at Tennessee, this young recruiting class and the last couple of recruiting classes they’ve brought in passed that eye test. You talk about the Arion Carters and Jeremiah Telanders at linebacker. You’re talking about Caleb Herring coming off the edge as a defensive end. The transfer John Campbell at offensive tackle from Miami.”

Perhaps even more special, both Herring and Carter are Tennessee natives, ranking as the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the state respectively. But all of those players add to the talent already on the roster as coach Josh Heupel builds a solid foundation for the future.

Not mentioned among the standout newcomers is quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 6 overall player according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Iamaleava figures to back up Joe Milton this season, but will be a valuable piece for the future.

Last season, the Vols brought in the nation’s No. 15 recruiting class according to On3. We saw a few of those players make an impact right away such as receiver Squirrel White and defensive linemen James Pearce and Tyre West. Based on early impression of this year’s incoming freshmen, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar impact.

That hard work on the recruiting trail has led to a quick turnaround for Heupel at Tennessee. Taking over for a team that went 3-7 in 2020, Heupel led them to a winning record in 2021. But he saw the biggest jump last season to finish 11-2 for the first double-digit win season since 2007 and win the Orange Bowl.

Hubbs believes that as Heupel enters Year 3, that progress is something to behold.

“Where this program was two years ago when 30 guys transferred out before Josh Heupel arrived to where they are now, this is a more complete looking football team,” he said. “They’re like every college team around the country. They’ve got holes to fill. But this is a team that’s much more physically, from an eyeball standpoint, look more like an SEC team than certainly they did two years ago.”

The Vols lose a lot of key pieces from last season’s breakthrough team, including quarterback Hendon Hooker and receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. But with the talented added over the past two recruiting cycles, there’s optimism that things are only getting started in Knoxville.

The Tennessee newcomers will hope to finish out fall camp strong before getting the chance to make their college debut on Sept. 2 against Virginia.