Phil Steele explains why Tennessee is a 'legitimate contender' in the SEC East on 'Josh and Swain'

Phil Steele was recently a guest on ‘Josh and Swain’, previewing Tennessee football in 2023 and breaking down the SEC during his appearance on WNML-FM 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville:

His thoughts on Tennessee in 2023, moving forward after the 11-win season in 2022

“Remember, in last year’s magazine, I forecasted Tennessee was going to have 45 points per game. And what’d they do? 46 points per game, even topped (my prediction). First 11-win season since 2001. What a great year. And I don’t think it slows down. I think you’re going to see Tennessee, they are the legitimate contender to Georgia in the SEC East this year.”

“I think, when you look at Tennessee, of course the big question mark is you lose a Hendon Hooker, who had just two interceptions all year. That’s a key number if you’re a Tennessee fan. Circle that two number. If Joe Milton can come near that, then look out. Milton’s got the size, the arm strength. Everything you want in an NFL quarterback. And he’s in the perfect offense.”

“(Milton is) now in his third year of the offense, he’s got a good supporting cast, three starting offensive linemen back. Despite losing a guy like (Jalin) Hyatt at the receiver spot, they’ve got (Bru) McCoy, they add in Dont’e Thornton. The running backs are very deep. And the defense showed a lot of improvement last year. They improved by a touchdown per game. I think they’ll continue to show improvement.”

“You look at the schedule this year, Tennessee’s going to be (an underdog) at Alabama, they’re going to be a dog at home against Georgia. If you’re going to win the East? You’ve got to beat Georgia at home. That would be the key. But I think this team is very capable of getting back to double digit wins this year, despite losing a player like Hendon Hooker.”

What stood out from his conversations with Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle 

“Probably the fact that he was very confident in the receiving corps despite losing a Biletnikoff winner in (Jalin) Hyatt. (Halzle) felt that they were deeper than last year and could keep the guys fresher. Milton, who would you have said some wonders about, he’s very high on Joe Milton and thought that the offensive line was going to be deeper than last year, as well, and be able to keep the guys fresh. I guess the overall take on the offense there is that they’re a deeper unit and probably fresher later in the year.”

Tennessee’s schedule this season

“When I look at Tennessee’s schedule this year, the Florida game is no gimme. I mean, yes, they finally got the Florida jinx done last year, got the big victory there. But they do have to play them in The Swamp. I think that’s going to be a tough game early on.

“The Texas A&M game, thank goodness Tennessee’s off a bye for that one and get that one at home. I think that’s why I’ve got them favored in that one. But A&M’s going to be one of the surprise teams. The Bama game, of course, is going to be a tough one. Bama is even tougher at home than they are on the road. And then you look at Kentucky on the road; it’s not easy. Kentucky is coming off a bye. And the Georgia game would be the final one. So those five games are key. 

“I do have Tennessee favored in three of the five, though. The only two games I have an underdog in all year are the Alabama game on the road and Georgia at home.”

His player to watch for Tennessee outside of Joe Milton III

“Yea, it’s a newcomer; a guy that’s brand new to the team this year. It’s Dont’e Thornton at wide receiver. Dont’e Thornton is six-foot-five. He’s 205 pounds, he’s got that rare combination of size and speed. He’s probably just as fast as Hyatt was. He runs good routes. He’s got good length, and, as mentioned, he’s just as fast as Hyatt. So, I think you’ll see Dont’e Thornton come in from Oregon, step in, and really steal a lot of the receptions this year and be one of the big newcomers of the year.”

If there’s a team in the SEC he’s higher on than others 

“Yeah, I’m definitely going with Texas A&M in this case. Texas A&M is coming off a disappointing 5-7 season last year. They were a bottom-ten team in terms of experience. They were one of the least experienced teams in the country last year, suffered a lot of injuries and had some close losses as well. So I think they’re flying way under the radar. But Jimbo Fisher has brought in amazing recruiting classes four straight years. He has also, when you look at this team, last year despite their 5-7 record, they nearly knocked off Alabama. Remember, they were at the 2-yard line at the end of the game, with the chance to win. They did knock off LSU last year. They’ve got 10 starters back on offense, 10 on defense. They’re now top ten in terms of experience, opposed to the bottom ten. And when you look at the schedule, the big question mark is Alabama at home, which I think they could pull the upset there, Tennessee on the road and LSU on the road are the tough tests. I think A&M is a legitimate contender in the SEC West this year. And I don’t think a lot of folks have them up there. Everyone has Alabama and LSU.”