Tennessee wants to show it is 'for real' in 2023

Last year, Tennessee took a huge leap forward under Josh Heupel. The Volunteers turned a 5-7 record in 2021 to an 11-2 mark in 2022 behind a high-powered offense led by Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt.

Now, things are different. Hooker and Hyatt both heard their names called in the NFL Draft, and Joe Milton has the keys to the sports car that is the Tennessee offense. Coming off such a big year, expectations are high on Rocky Top.

But as On3’s J.D. PicKell said, Tennessee has to prove it is “for real” after so many changes.

“[Tennessee is] sort of on the other end of spectrum here where you talk about teams looking to arrive. And that’s kind of the statement I think they want to make,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “Tennessee wants to allow the entire world to know, ‘We are here. We are for real.’ Because there’s so much made about what Hendon Hooker was, what Jalin Hyatt was and the run they had last year and they beat Bama and they storm the field, tried to throw some goalposts into the river. … That was kind of the good story that people like to talk about with Tennessee last year.

“But they say, ‘Okay, that happened. But now, Hendon Hooker, he’s gone. You got Joe Milton stepping in. Hope you don’t think he’s changing the game for you.’ That’s what they want to say. I’m telling you this. I think Joe Milton will be a game-changer for Tennessee.”

JD PicKell: Tennessee can prove it’s ‘for real’ by beating Alabama or Georgia

Last year, Tennessee made its presence known by beating Alabama at Neyland Stadium. It catapulted the Volunteers into the College Football Playoff conversation before a late-season loss to South Carolina that saw Hooker go down with an injury.

But PicKell argued Heupel, Milton and Co. have the ability to claim its spot on the national landscape by beating the Crimson Tide or beating Georgia, which beat the Volunteers last season en route to a second straight title.

If Tennessee can beat either Alabama or Georgia, PicKell said, the Vols can prove they’re not a one-hit wonder.

“I think to make that statement that you are for real and … this thing is going to have some staying power, I think you need to beat either Alabama or Georgia this coming season,” PicKell said. “You’ve got to beat one of those teams. Because that would solidify, ‘Hey, listen, you got to talk about us with the top tier in the SEC. You got to talk about us now as one of those top teams. We are for real.’ … I also think double-digit wins, if you could make that happen, that would also cater to the idea that you are a ‘for real’ operation.

“And I think they are, to be transparent. I believe in Josh Heupel, I believe in the system they run, I believe in the culture that I’ve been able to gauge from what they do there, I believe in how they’re recruiting. Like, I’m bought in on Tennessee now. I think it’s just gonna be a matter of taking it to the field and executing. Again, taking down one of the big boys from a brand perspective, Alabama and Georgia. Get one of them like you did last year, I think that would give you a lot of credibility and prove that you are for real in Knoxville.”