The Tennessee Vols will enter the 2023 season looking to prove that they weren't a one-hit wonder in 2022. 

Tennessee's 11-2 season last year was one of the biggest surprises in college football. 

Folks expected the Vols to improve, but beating Florida, LSU, Alabama, and Clemson in the same season is not something that anyone predicted. 

With Tennessee losing key players to the NFL like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Darnell Wright, and Byron Young (among a few others), there are plenty of media outlets that are expecting the Vols to take a step back in 2023. 

Fox Sports is not one of those media outlets. 

In their spring top 25 rankings, Fox Sports has Tennessee ranked at No. 5. 

They have Alabama at No. 6. 

From Fox Sports: As great as Hendon Hooker and Josh Heupel’s offense was last year, the Vol defense was just that bad. The defense allowed 300-yard passing performances to four opponents and 1,505 yards rushing last season. Even with a secondary that was one of the worst in the SEC, the Vols finished 11-2 with an Orange Bowl win against lil ol’ Clemson. A decent step forward by the secondary in the spring will keep momentum toward challenging UGA in the fall. 

The shot at the Vols' defense feels a bit unfair. Yes, there were some really bad performances from Tennessee's defense in 2022 — mainly the South Carolina game (I don't really hold the Alabama game against the Vols' defense…Bryce Young was simply unreal that day). But there were other games where the defense looked….elite (LSU, Kentucky, Clemson, and Vanderbilt games). 

But back to the rankings. 

Fox Sports is showing a lot of faith in the Vols. And I think that win against Clemson in the Orange Bowl is the main reason why. Tennessee showed they can beat an elite program without Hooker, Hyatt, and Tillman. That alone should give folks confidence that the Vols can continue the success they found under Josh Heupel in 2022. 

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