The Tennessee Volunteers wrapped up their regular season at 8-4 after a 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt at home. It was a sour ending to a season that had plenty of ups and downs for Vol fans over three months.

But was it a successful season under the circumstances? That’s been a fair debate on social media, particularly among Vol fans.

Tennessee was pretty well handicapped in the offseason in a few key respects. Nico Iamaleava left before the season, putting a national spotlight on Knoxville and leaving Tennessee scrambling to find a replacement in Joey Aguilar, which ultimately worked out pretty well. Star cornerback Jermod McCoy suffered an ACL injury early in the offseason that cost him the season. Boo Carter’s offseason issues and resulting internal disciplinary action served as an unneeded distraction in camp. And while not a loss per se, the Vols’ departures on defense to the NFL, particularly in their two deep on the defensive line, proved to be crippling once the season played out.

So what grade did the Vols’ efforts in 2025 deserve. CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello put out his grades for all SEC teams this year, and have gave the Vols a B.

CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello gives Tennessee a grade of ‘B’ for their 2025 season

This is what Marcello had to say about Tennessee’s season:

“The 2025 season was always going to be a rebuilding year for the Volunteers, and yet they still managed to win eight games and put a scare into Georgia earlier in the season. The Vols fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks after the season, but he had to work this season without two starters in the secondary. The defense finished 87th overall, ranking among the worst in pass defense (113th). The offense under quarterback Joey Aguilar finished in the top 10 in most categories, but the lack of a rushing attack (50th) was an issue in several games. Eight wins should have been the expectation in this rebuilding year, but that doesn’t stop fans from projecting a trip to the playoff.”

It’s hard to argue that anything other than 8 wins should have been the expectation. The Vols had two very tough games in SEC champion Georgia and Alabama on the road. Most Vol fans in their hearts of hearts wouldn’t have expected to win those. Oklahoma and their stellar defense proved to be playoff worthy this year, as did Vanderbilt despite the Commodores not quite making the field. OU was seen as a bit of a swing game, but it didn’t go Tennessee’s way, and Vandy was far better than anyone outside of Nashville would have expected.

Marcello referenced something that would have completely changed the grade as well as Tennessee’s season, specifically, how Tennessee “put a scare into Georgia”. Kicker Max Gilbert had a 40-yard field goal attempt with 7 seconds left that would have snapped the Vols’ 8-game losing streak to the Dawgs, but he pushed it wide right. If that goes through, the trajectory of the Vols’ entire season changes, and that grade goes significantly higher.

That’s how narrow the margin is between winning and losing, as well as the perception of the season. Miami’s Carter Davis banged through a 48-yard field goal with a minute left to power Miami past Notre Dame 27-24 back in Week 1. If he misses that, who knows how both teams’ seasons end up and what perception is?

But Gilbert missed, and the Vols, particularly the defense, had plenty of issues across 12 games to put the blame well beyond one kick. It was a decent season, all things considered, but it’s also one that Vol fans are going to look back and wonder what if. What if Gilbert makes that kick? What if Oklahoma doesn’t sack Aguilar and return a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter with the Vols up by ten?

The Vols simply didn’t make enough key plays in key moments this year. We’ll see if they can do better in what will be a challenging 2026 schedule.

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