The spring semester is up and running, which means college football teams are also back to work. Programs are seeing what they can do to take the next step and make it to the College Football Playoff. This is the case for Tennessee football.
After starting the season unranked, the Volunteers put together one of the most surprising campaigns in college football. They finished 10-2 and at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings and were No. 1 in the initial rankings before a 27-13 loss to future back-to-back champion Georgia in early November.
But their success in 2022 is no guarantee the Volunteers will remain a national power going forward. Several key players will be departing Knoxville. Most notably, Heisman-contending quarterback Hendon Hooker will be taking his talents to the big league after entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Because of that, head coach Josh Heupel will have some work to do in the offseason.
It all starts with spring practice. Heupel is having the chance of analyzing the team's returnees and newcomers but it is also likely creating some question marks in his head. With the spring game on April 15, fans will see who is taking the lead in the battles for the first-string job.
With that being said, here are some position battles to watch at the Tennessee Volunteers' 2023 spring practice.
3. Wide receiver
One Tennessee area that certainly suffered major losses in the 2023 offseason was the wideout group. Both Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt entered their names in the 2023 NFL Draft, leaving a massive hole in the unit.
In the 2022 season, Hyatt caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished in the top five in the nation for receiving yards, while also leading the SEC in both receiving yards and scores.
For his performances, he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the best wide receiver in the nation. He also earned First-Team All-SEC and All-American honors, with the latter being unanimous.
Tillman dealt with injuries in 2022, appearing in just six games. Still, he had 37 catches for 417 yards and three scores.
With Hyatt and Tillman, there is a battle to earn their jobs. A transfer from Oregon, Dont'e Thornton had just 17 receptions for 366 yards and a touchdown last season. Despite those shy numbers, he averaged 21.5 yards per catch.
On the other side of the battle, returnee Ramel Keyton was the one who replaced Tillman after his injury. Keyton ended up recording 31 receptions for 566 yards and five touchdowns for the season.
Heupel will need to decide between Thornton and Keyton. Should he opt for continuity, Keyton might have an advantage on the Tennessee football depth chart.
2. Quarterback
Another position with a major loss is quarterback. As previously mentioned, Hooker will be in the NFL in 2023, leaving Heupel to decide who will be the starter this upcoming season for the Volunteers.
Joe Milton III enters with the advantage of being in his third year on the program and sixth overall in college. Last season, he completed 64.6% of his passes for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns against no interceptions. He took over the starting job throughout the season following Hooker's ACL injury.
While Milton is familiar with the system, he will have a young opponent for the first-string role. A five-star freshman, Nico Iamaleava was one of the top recruits in his class. Since this is still his first year in college, he might sit out to learn more before taking over the team for the next couple of years.
Until Heupel announces a starter, there will still be a battle between Milton and Iamaleava for the job. Depending on how things go in spring, Tennessee might need to play the two of them, at least early in the 2023 season.
1. Cornerback
While the Volunteers had a big 2022 season overall, the defense was far from perfect. Tennessee football ranked just No. 127 out of 131 FBS teams in passing defense with 289.5 yards allowed per game.
To address the situation, the Volunteers brought in BYU transfer Gabe Jeudy-Lally. In his final season with the Cougars, he registered 46 tackles with 30 of them being solo and six pass breakups.
What makes this battle interesting is that in addition to Jeudy-Lally, Tennessee has many cornerbacks for limited spots.
Warren Burrell, Kamal Hadden, Christian Charles, Doneiko Slaughter, Brandon Turnage and De’Shawn Rucker combined for more than 2,000 defensive snaps in the 2022 season. Special teamer Dee Williams could also be in the conversation for the role, and so is Christian Harrison after his freshman campaign.
After a poor display of the defensive unit in 2022, Tennessee could go with new faces, more specifically with Jeudy-Lally. Still, with so many options, cornerback is certainly one of the top position battles to keep an eye on for the Volunteers in the 2023 spring practice.
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