Tennessee Vols get hit with the biggest disrespect the program has seen since Josh Heupel's first season on Rocky Top

The Tennessee Vols were hit this week with the biggest disrespect the program has seen since Josh Heupel arrived on Rocky Top in early 2021.  Tennessee, for the most part, has been viewed as a top 25 program in college football since the end of Heupel's first season in Knoxville.  But despite reaching the College […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Josh Heupel
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The Tennessee Vols were hit this week with the biggest disrespect the program has seen since Josh Heupel arrived on Rocky Top in early 2021. 

Tennessee, for the most part, has been viewed as a top 25 program in college football since the end of Heupel's first season in Knoxville. 

But despite reaching the College Football Playoff last season, 247Sports doesn't currently view Tennessee as a top 25 team. 

247Sports revealed its updated post-spring top 25 rankings on Sunday and Tennessee was nowhere to be found. 

(I would expect Tennessee to be included in the AP Top 25 poll later this summer, but they'll probably be ranked in the No. 20 to No. 25 range.)

It's a bit surprising to see the Vols left out of 247Sports' top 25 rankings considering what we've seen from Heupel over the last several years. 

The biggest reason that Tennessee wasn't included in 247Sports' top 25 rankings is almost certainly because of the departure of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. 

With Iamaleava moving on to UCLA, the Vols are unsure of who their starting quarterback will be this fall. 

UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and true freshman George MacIntyre will compete for the starting job this fall. 

The uncertainty at the quarterback position has analysts unsure of how to feel about Tennessee in 2025. So instead of giving Heupel the benefit of the doubt, 247Sports is electing to leave the Volunteers out of their preseason top 25 rankings (for now). 

Preseason rankings, of course, mean absolutely nothing. They have no impact on what will actually happen this fall. I think fans should actually embrace the disrespect from 247Sports. Most teams play better when there are low expectations — that's been especially true of Heupel's teams. College football teams are at their best when they play "free and easy". And it's much easier to play with that mindset when everyone is writing you off. 

Tennessee will have plenty of opportunities this fall to prove that they're a top 25 team. Until then, they just need to keep their head down and keep working. 

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