Heupel's Xs & Os tasked with overcoming big-time offensive departures
The old football cliche that “Jimmies and Joes beat Xs and Os” may be the source of consternation at Tennessee.
Third-year coach Josh Heupel is nationally praised for the dynamic offensive system he brought to Knoxville.
Rightly so. The Volunteers led the nation in total offense and scoring offense in 2022.
But that offense was led by dynamic players in All-American quarterback Hendon Hooker, All-American receiver Jalin Hyatt and All-SEC tackle Darnell Wright.
All three, as well as receiver Cedric Tillman, have departed to the NFL. All were taken in the third round or higher of the NFL Draft.
So the obvious question is whether Heupel’s Xs and Os can be as successful without Hooker and Hyatt, et al.
Hooker passed for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions last season. His successor, Joe Milton III, has passed for 2,540 yards in five seasons at Tennessee and Michigan. He’s thrown 17 career touchdown passes and six career interceptions.
Milton stepped in last season when Hooker was lost to injury in Tennessee’s 10th game. Milton finished the season with 971 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.
That’s impressive, but it should be noted those numbers were compiled largely against mediocre-to-poor defenses.
He has a lot to prove. So does the offensive line, which allowed 27 sacks last season. And that was with Wright at left tackle.
Still, that pales in comparison to what the defense must prove.
The Volunteers were ranked 92nd in the country in total defense in 2022. They were 127th against the pass.
This year, they’re without All-SEC defensive end Byron Young, who was an NFL third-round pick. He led Tennessee in sacks and quarterback pressures in 2022.
Can the Vols' defense be better without him?
Tennessee allowed 27 points in a victory over Pitt. The Vols allowed 33 points in a win over Florida. They gave up 49 points in a win over Alabama.
Obviously, Heupel’s high-powered offense was able to compensate for defensive issues. Whether the offense can do that again — or even needs to — likely will determine Tennessee’s success level in 2023.
The Vols still figure to be one of the better teams in the SEC East, but Tennessee may need more than creative Xs and Os to duplicate last year’s 11-win total.
Tennessee Volunteers
2022 record: 11-2, 6-2
Returning Starters
- Offense (8): OL Gerald Mincey, OL Jeremiah Crawford, C Cooper Mays, OL Javontez Spraggins; RB Jabari Small, WR Bru McCoy, TE Jacob Warren, WR Ramel Keyton
- Defense (6): DL Omari Thomas, LB Aaron Beasley, DB Jaylen McCollough, DB Tamarion McDonald, DB Doneiko Slaughter, DB Kamal Hadden
Primary Area of Strength: Even without departed All-American Jalin Hyatt, the Volunteers have a strong group of receivers. The corps is led by Bru McCoy, who caught 52 passes for 667 yards in 2022. Sophomore Squirrel White had an impressive debut season with 30 catches. Also, Ramel Keyton had 31 receptions for 567 yards as a spot starter. That’s not a bad nucleus, but the Volunteers also added Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton Jr., a big-play threat who averaged 21.5 yards per catch last season.
Primary Area of Concern: Perhaps overlooked during Tennessee’s 11-2 campaign in 2022 is the fact the Volunteers were ranked 127th in the nation in pass defense. Coverage struggled and got little help from a mediocre pass rush. Full-time starters Jaylen McCollough and Tamarion McDonald return, as do part-time starters Kamal Hadden and Doneiko Slaughter. Maybe the Vols will improve with experience, but the pass rush doesn’t figure to get much better. Tennessee only managed 31 sacks last season. No returning starter had more than three.
Significant additions
- T John Campbell Jr.: A sixth-year senior, he started 12 games at left tackle for the Miami Hurricanes last year.
- LB Keenan Pili: A two-time team captain at BYU, Pili posted 62 tackles in 2022.
- TE McCallan Castles: Second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection caught 30 passes for 347 yards last year for UC-Davis.
- DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally: Oft-traveled Austin native led BYU with seven passes broken up last season. He spent three seasons before that at Vanderbilt.
- WR Dont'e Thornton Jr.: Over the last two seasons at Oregon, Thornton has averaged just over 20 yards per catch on 26 receptions.
Significant losses
- QB Hendon Hooker: Heisman candidate who passed for more than 3,000 yards and was a third-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions.
- WR Jalin Hyatt: All-American led the SEC in receiving and was a third-round pick of the New York Giants.
- WR Cedric Tillman: Though slowed by injuries much of last season, he had 37 catches and was a third-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns.
- OT Darnell Wright: All-SEC selection was the first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears.
- DE Byron Young: All-SEC selection led Tennessee with seven sacks and 14 quarterback hurries. He was a third-round selection of the Los Angeles Rams.
Top Players
- WR Bru McCoy: A big senior target at 6-foot-3, 221-pounds coming off his best collegiate season with 52 catches for 667 yards and four touchdowns.
- LB Aaron Beasley: In 2022, he posted at least eight tackles in four games on the way to totaling 76 stops with 13 resulting in lost yardage.
- C Cooper Mayes: Consistent, high-grading blocker who was named SEC Offensive Linemen of the Week for his play last season against Missouri.
2023 Tennessee Schedule
- Sept. 2 vs. Virginia
- Sept. 9 vs. Austin Peay
- Sept. 16. at Florida
- Sept. 23 vs. UTSA
- Sept. 30 vs. South Carolina
- Oct. 14 vs. Texas A&M
- Oct. 21 at Alabama
- Oct. 28 at Kentucky
- Nov. 4 vs. Connecticut
- Nov. 11 at Missouri
- Nov. 18 vs. Georgia
- Nov. 25 vs. Vanderbilt
