2025 Tennessee Football Predictions: Volunteers Ranked 13th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
Published
Aug. 10, 2025 9:16 p.m. ET
share
x
link
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
Who do I think is good?
Why do I think they're good?
What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Tennessee lands in my Ultimate 136.
Tennessee Volunteers ranking: 13
Last year's ranking: 13
Top player: DB Jermod McCoy: AP Second Team All-American selection last season; his 13 passes defended ranked fourth in the SEC, also had an 89.6 coverage grade from PFF, which ranked ninth in FBS among cornerbacks.
[Tennessee's 2025 schedule]
RJ's take: Josh Heupel returns Broyles Award finalist and defensive coordinator Tim Banks to a program that made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff this season. But he lost QB Nico Iamaleava in the biggest offseason story of the year. Iamaleava's move to hold out of spring practice and threat to enter the portal if he wasn't provided a raise in NIL pay from his 3-year, $8 million contract led to Tennessee telling him to kick rocks.
ADVERTISEMENT
He landed at UCLA, and penciled Bruins starter Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee in what will look like a trade in print but a sign of the times for those of us who lived through it. Now, Heupel is forced to hold together a program that got its first taste of the CFP in a first-round appearance and was promptly dismantled by Ohio State in it. But it's possible if his offense can run the ball effectively.
Aguilar has thrown for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns over the last two seasons at Appalachian State. Notre Dame transfer and guard Sam Pendleton and returning left tackle Lance Heard will help fortify the offensive line that will lose four starters from last year's team.
In the last three years, the Volunteers are 23-0 when they run for at least 185 yards in a game. That includes an 8-0 mark they hit with running back Dylan Sampson leading the charge with 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas are among those who will be tasked with helping Tennessee reach that magical 185 mark in 2025.
McCoy, defensive tackle Bryson Eason and EDGE Joshua Josephs might be the three best players on the team, and they all play defense. McCoy led the Vols with 13 passes defended, including four interceptions. Eason and Joseph combined for 16 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 2024.
However, the Vols open SEC play against Georgia, a team it hasn't beaten since 2016. Games against Oklahoma, Florida and Syracuse round out a tough schedule, but it's basically the same schedule as their 2024 season in reverse. A 10-win season ought to be treated like winning the national title in Knoxville, given the hand it's forced to play this year.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Tennessee Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+100) Under 8.5 (-122)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
FOLLOW
Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience
College Football
Tennessee Volunteers
share
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Why Joey Aguilar won Tennessee's starting quarterback competition in fall camp
No. 18 Tennessee practiced Tuesday for the 13th time in preparation for its 2025 football season slated to kick off Aug. 30. Rankings reflect the US LBM Coaches Poll. Tennessee named senior transfer Joey Aguilar its starting quarterback on Sunday. Fifth-year head coach Josh Heupel discussed why the 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal-caller won the Vols' starting quarterback competition. "That entire room competed at a really high level," Heupel said. "They competed the right way, too. They pushed each other in a positive way in the meeting room, out on the practice field. I think our team has great confidence in all those guys. "Joey, through the course of training camp, each and every day, continued to grow and take steps, and understand what we're doing, and comfort level, played well in the scrimmages, had good command. That ultimately led to the decision that we made." More: Tennessee football projected for top 35 offense in 2025 Heupel also discussed why he feels Aguilar gives Tennessee the best chance to win in 2025. "Got great trust in all those guys, and the strength of one position room, quarterback included, can never just be one guy," he said. "Those guys have all grown, but I think Joey, coming in May, having to learn the offense throughout the late spring, summertime, getting his feet on the grass with our guys, learning how we practice, but also growing each day, just continued to trend upward in his comfort and control, and command, of what we're doing. "That's decision making, accuracy with the football, our checks that he controls, you put all that together and that's ultimately why we made the decision." Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Kirby Smart refuses to name Georgia's starting quarterback
Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart does not sound like he'll be naming Georgia's starting quarterback ahead of the season opener. Smart was asked if he would name redshirt junior quarterback Gunner Stockton as Georgia's starter. "Yes, so y'all can write about it (naming Stockton the starter)?" Smart said. "Nah." Smart's decision to refrain from naming Stockton as the starter should not come as a surprise. Smart likes as much competition as possible to bring out the best in his players. He tries to keep his press conferences out of the spotlight most of the time and this was no exception. Smart's decision to not name a starting quarterback differs from the approach several other college football coaches are using. Tennessee, Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State all recently named their respective starting quarterbacks. Georgia does not appear to have too much to gain from not naming a starter. The Bulldogs open the season against the Marshall Thundering Herd and then play Austin Peay the following week. When Georgia plays Tennessee in Week 3, every coach in college football will already know Georgia's starting quarterback. Perhaps the additional competition could help Gunner Stockton continue to take his game to the next level, but we'll find out soon enough on Georgia's Aug. 30 season opener. Kirby Smart explains what he expects out of Stockton "Good decisions, good decisions," Smart said. "Make good decisions, continue to develop, understanding situational football. "We've made football so complicated, some quarterbacks, I don't think they know the down and distance. I don't think they actually know, 'Do I have another down after this play, or is this my last chance to get the first down?' "It's just little things. Being a quarterback, understanding the game, understanding what the defense is doing. He's grown so much in regards to that. ID (identification) in protections, ID in run game. Playing quarterback is like being a computer. It's got a million things going on at once, and he's gotten better and better at handling those things. That's what I want to see him do when he gets the opportunity." College football quarterbacks have a lot put on their plate, but Gunner Stockton has been preparing to start for a long time. His preparation and experience are big reasons why he'll be Georgia's starting quarterback in Week 1 if Kirby Smart names him the starter or not. Follow UGA Wire on Instagram or Threads for more Georgia Bulldogs coverage!
NBC Sports
8 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Can South Carolina turn last season's momentum into a breakthrough year behind LaNorris Sellers?
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Shane Beamer and the 13th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks are hoping to parlay momentum from last season's strong finish into a breakthrough 2025 campaign. The Gamecocks won their final six games last year before losing to Illinois 21-17 in the Citrus Bowl to finish 9-4 after barely missing out on the College Football Playoff. This year marks the first time South Carolina has been ranked in preseason AP Top 25 since 2014, when they debuted at No. 9. That brings added pressure to the Gamecocks, who'll look to navigate a brutal schedule that includes six games against Top 25 teams: Clemson (No. 4), Alabama (8), LSU (9), Oklahoma (18), Texas A&M (19) and Ole Miss (21). Beamer, who is 29-22 in four years at South Carolina and 15-17 against conference foes, said it is a welcome change. 'Yeah, I'd rather be ranked high and have those expectations than not,' Beamer said,. 'As a coach, when you're not ranked high, like we were last year, it's great because you can use that as fuel and motivation. But we want to be a team that's consistently ranked high in the top 10, top 15, going into every single season.' Senior defensive lineman Nick Barrett arrived in Columbia three years ago when the Gamecocks were coming off a 2-8 season, so he's seen the steady rise of the program. 'We just continue to come in with a chip on our shoulder, the team, to get better,' Barrett said. 'That last season was last season. We understand that's a whole different story; it's a whole new team. We gotta do something different this year. We can't just live off last year.' Selling high Much of the optimism surrounding the Gamecocks revolves around returning starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2024. The versatile Sellers also ran for 674 yards and seven scores, including a 75-yard scamper against LSU. 'If you had a good season the year before and your quarterback returns, you're probably going to be ranked pretty high,' Beamer said. 'And that's what we are.' ESPN projected Sellers as a mid-first round draft pick in 2026 in its recent mock draft. But the QB said he's not worried about playing at the next level right now, insisting his focus is on 'keeping my head down' and getting better on a daily basis. 'I know how much work I had to put in to get there, but I could also lose it quick,' Sellers said. Adde Beamer: 'I think we're going to be better around LaNorris as well on the offense — more depth and competition at pretty much every position. That's going to help him. He doesn't have to be Superman for us. Just continue to be the person he is, the leader that he is, and the player that he is.' Brotherly love Sellers said he is 'super excited' to play with his freshman brother, Jayden Sellers, who joined the school in the spring after enrolling early. Jayden Sellers led South Florence High School to a state championship last season after catching 59 passes for 1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 485 yards and 10 more TDs on the ground. 'Last time we played together with him was my senior, which was year three years ago,' the elder Sellers said. 'I was always quarterback. He played pretty much everywhere. And in rec league, he played running back, receiver, DB. He played that up until last year, senior year. I think he's fully receiver now. But that's all we used to do, throw a deep field run and he'd catch it.' Stewart of the game The defense will be anchored by 6-foot-5, 245-pound sophomore linebacker Dylan Stewart, who had 6 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last season. He has already been named to the watchlist for the Walter Camp Award and Bronko Nagurski Award given to the nation's top defensive player. Football over Olympics South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor was viewed as an Olympic hopeful after finishing as a second-team All-American last year in the 100 and 200 meters. But Harbor has given up track to focus on football, where he was South Carolina's most targeted receiver last year. 'He's not just your everyday, 'I'm gonna go run the track team and have a good college career.' Like he could have run in the Olympics,' Beamer said. The schedule South Carolina will be challenged right away, opening against ACC foe Virginia Tech in Atlanta. The Gamecocks' schedule really begins to hit its stride in early October when they face five straight Top 25 teams including road games at LSU (Oct. 11), Ole Miss (Nov. 1) and Texas A&M (Nov. 15), and home games vs. Oklahoma (Oct. 18) and Alabama (Oct. 25). The Gamecocks close the season with their traditional rivalry game against Clemson at home on Nov. 28.
