National analyst names biggest thing Tennessee needs to accomplish in offseason to bounce back from loss to Ohio State
The Tennessee Vols are on the right track under head coach Josh Heupel. Reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff just a few years after the program went 3-7 is a remarkable accomplishment for Heupel, his coaching staff, and his players. Especially since programs like Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Missouri are wondering what making the […]
The Tennessee Vols are on the right track under head coach Josh Heupel.
Reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff just a few years after the program went 3-7 is a remarkable accomplishment for Heupel, his coaching staff, and his players. Especially since programs like Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Missouri are wondering what making the playoff feels like.
Tennessee's 25 point loss to Ohio State in the first round of the playoff last weekend, however, shows that the Vols still have some work to do to become a true national championship contender.
One area where the Vols need to get better is at wide receiver. The Buckeyes had a significant talent advantage over the Vols at wide receiver and it showed on the field.
That's a big reason why CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah pointed out this week that Tennessee's biggest objective this offseason should be to find some wide receiver help.
From CBS Sports: While the Vols were underdogs heading into the matchup with Ohio State, no one expected them to get steamrolled by the Buckeyes worse than Northwestern did. For all the blame going around towards quarterback Nico Iamaleava or the offense line or the defense, wide receiver was the position group that separated this game. While Iamaleava's inexperience didn't help, Tennessee only had one player with more than 500 yards receiving on the year. There are 249 players nationally with at least 50 targets this season, three of whom played at Tennessee. None ranked higher than 173rd in yards per route run. On the other side, Ohio State obliterated a talented Tennessee defense with their receivers. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka combined for 11 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the win as Ryan Day really only needed to call basic crossing patterns to break them free. Smith is No. 11 in yards per route run. Egbuka is 31st. That's what a title caliber receiving corps looks like.
Landing a stable of elite wide receivers is easier said than done — especially since the Vols traditionally aren't very active in the transfer portal with the top rated transfer wide receiver options.
Tennessee has some elite young talent on their roster in Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley — two players who will see increased playing time in 2025 — but they could still use a proven weapon from the portal. If Tennessee can't find an elite option, I'm not sure the Vols' wide receiver group will be improved enough in 2025 to compete with programs like Ohio State.
Paul Finebaum takes an unfair and unnecessary shot at Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava
Rough night for the Vols
