Former Alabama QB makes strong statement about the lack of hype the Tennessee Vols are receiving this offseason
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback turned college football analyst Greg McElroy pointed out several teams this week that he doesn't think are being talked about enough this offseason. And the Tennessee Vols were one of the programs that he mentioned. McElroy, appearing on his Always College Football show on YouTube, suggested that Tennessee could be […]
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback turned college football analyst Greg McElroy pointed out several teams this week that he doesn't think are being talked about enough this offseason.
And the Tennessee Vols were one of the programs that he mentioned.
McElroy, appearing on his Always College Football show on YouTube, suggested that Tennessee could be "as dangerous of a team" as there is in the SEC in 2024.
"I look at Tennessee and while I think Tennessee fans are bullish about a possible playoff spot, I don't feel like Tennessee's really captured the nation's attention," said McElroy. "Kind of like what we talked about with Georgia. There isn't really a quarterback competition. There aren't a ton of question marks that you have on defense."
"So I think you look at the SEC right now, and everyone's talking about Alabama, Georgia to an extent — even though Georgia, like I said, kind of flying under the radar — tons of conversation about the Texas Longhorns, tons of conversation to be had about the Ole Miss Rebels and the offseason that they've had, but there's not a whole lot of discussion about what Tennessee might ultimately be," continued McElroy. "And if their quarterback play skyrockets, they could be as dangerous a team as there is in the Southeastern Conference. I feel like I've spent more time talking about Florida this offseason than I have Tennessee — partly because there's been conversation about Billy Napier and the hot seat and the pressure and all these other things.
"With a slightly improved passer, assuming Nico Iamaleava is, and a running game that's going to continue to be dynamic and a defense that has shown to be really solid, Tennessee could definitely challenge at the top of the league and yet nobody really has them in that discussion right now," added McElroy. "I think most people would have Tennessee fifth in the SEC, maybe sixth coming into the season, depending on how you want to shake things out between Texas, Bama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. That's probably your top seven. Tennessee, I feel like, is way on down the list as far as the amount of coverage they're getting this offseason. And maybe that's good for them because they did not handle the expectations as well last year as one would have liked."
Tennessee certainly expects to compete for a playoff spot this season. And as McElroy mentioned at the end of his comments, it's probably a good thing for the Vols that the program is flying under the radar this offseason.
Offseason hype doesn't help win games. If anything, it just adds pressure — or it can be viewed as "rat poison" that allows players (and coaches) to become complacent because they buy into the hype.
Josh Heupel and the Vols would be just fine with a repeat of 2022 when they methodically climbed their way to No. 1 in the nation by the end of October. This time around, they'd just prefer to win those key games in November that were losses in 2022.
SEC head coach makes big statement about impact Tennessee’s Josh Heupel had on his coaching career
Sounds like Josh Heupel had quite the impact
