Former Alabama QB makes bold prediction for Tennessee Vols in 2023
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy is predicting that the Tennessee Vols will do something they haven’t done in nearly 20 years
The Tennessee Vols are coming off their best season in over 20 years after going 11-2 in 2022.
Can they take another step forward in 2023? Or will the loss of players like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Darnell Wright, and Cedric Tillman, among others, cause the Vols to take a small step back this upcoming season?
That's a tough question to answer at this point because we don't know exactly who will play at certain key positions for Tennessee in 2023.
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who is currently an analyst for ESPN, doesn't think the Vols will take a big step forward in 2023.
But he doesn't necessarily think they'll take a massive step back, either.
That might sound like McElroy is heading a bit, but he actually predicted this week that Tennessee will do something in 2023 that they haven't done in 19 years.
McElroy thinks the Vols will win 10-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
"It's a difficult prediction to make," said McElroy when asked if the Vols will win at least 10 games in 2023. "But I'm going to say yes because I'm going to factor in at a bare minimum that they win their bowl game — based on what I saw last year."
"I think obviously going to Tuscaloosa will be really difficult," added McElroy. "They have some difficult games on the [schedule]. Obviously, against I mean, you look at the game against Georgia, very, very difficult game. Against Florida, even though everyone knows that they're better than Florida, but going to their place won't be easy. So all things considered. Tennessee still has a very difficult schedule. I think Kentucky has a chance to be better this year. You're going up there. There's a lot of things to consider."
"So if I had to say right now, does Tennessee win double-digit games? I'm going to say yes, but I'm thinking it's going to look more like 9-3. And ultimately they're going to win their bowl game which puts them over the double-digit win plateau."
10-3 feels like a good prediction for the Vols in 2023. I'm not sure the defense is quite where it needs to be to reach the College Football Playoff this upcoming season. And the schedule — going to Alabama and Florida while still playing Georgia — is a bit more difficult than it was last season.
Another 11-2 season is certainly possible. Maybe the Vols even go 12-1 or better. I quickly learned that setting limits on what Josh Heupel and Tennessee can accomplish isn't wise. But from a realistic standpoint, 10-3 seems fair. And while it would be a slightly worse record than last season, it would still solidify that Tennessee football is here to stay with Heupel at the helm.
