Tennessee Vols have a budding superstar on their roster that no one seems to be talking about
The Tennessee Vols have a budding superstar on their roster and no one outside of East Tennessee seems to be talking about him. With edge rusher James Pearce heading to the NFL, the door is open for senior edge rusher Joshua Josephs to make a big impact for Tennessee in 2025. Josephs, a former four-star […]
The Tennessee Vols have a budding superstar on their roster and no one outside of East Tennessee seems to be talking about him.
With edge rusher James Pearce heading to the NFL, the door is open for senior edge rusher Joshua Josephs to make a big impact for Tennessee in 2025.
Josephs, a former four-star recruit from Kennesaw, GA, has put up modest numbers during his first three seasons at Tennessee.
The Georgia native has totaled 71 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks in 37 career games for the Volunteers.
That's decent production from Josephs, but it's nothing eye-popping.
Despite those unremarkable numbers, I believe that Josephs is on the verge of a huge breakout season in 2025.
For starters, one reason why Josephs hasn't put up better numbers is because he's part of a heavy defensive line rotation at Tennessee. Josephs played 365 snaps for the Vols in 2024, which was 99 snaps fewer than Pearce. For comparison's sake, cornerback Jermod McCoy played 696 snaps last season. Cornerback Rickey Gibson was second on the team (on the defensive side of the ball) with 636 snaps. And linebacker Arion Carter was third on the team with 611 snaps.
That's not the main reason, however, why I think Josephs is in for a big year in 2025.
Pro Football Focus pointed out this week that Josephs led all edge rushers in the nation with a 91.4 run-defense grade in 2024. Additionally, Josephs was one of only three edge rushers in the nation to earn 85-plus grades as both a run defender and as a pass rusher.
From PFF: Josephs was part of a deep rotation of Tennessee defensive linemen but he made the most of his 353 snaps. The junior led all edge defenders in the nation with a 91.4 run-defense grade in 2024 and was one of only three edges in America who earned 85-plus grades as both a run defender and as a pass rusher.
Like his former teammate, James Pearce Jr., Josephs has an explosive get-off that allows him to blow up blockers before they even know what hit them. And like Pearce, he can become a first-round pick if he can keep up this level of play under a heavier workload next season.
Josephs, 6-foot-3/240 lbs, has all the tools to be a dominant pass rusher for the Vols. And the underlying data suggests he's a complete player who can be a true three-down player in the SEC.
I don't know how good the numbers will look for Josephs at the end of the 2025 season, due to Tennessee's heavy defensive line rotation (which keeps players fresh for the entire season), but he's poised to be a game-wrecker for the Vols this fall. It might not be long before Josephs is a household name around the country.
Former Tennessee Vols WR Jalin Hyatt is officially in a bad situation with the New York Giants
Not good for the former Vol
