Loads of New Faces Taking Center Stage for Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers have had as much turnover on their roster as anyone in the country. Will it be more beneficial than having a lot of returning guys?

The Tennessee Volunteers have lost a lot of firepower from their 11-win, Orange Bowl-winning squad of 2022. Guys like Jalin Hyatt, Darnell Wright, and Hendon Hooker, among others, have departed for the NFL. There are also several returning guys, such as Bru McCoy, and returners that will play a much larger role this season, such as Squirrel White and Dylan Sampson.

With all that being said, the Vols may have some of the largest turnover in the country, with many new faces. According to GoVols247, roughly 40% of the Tennessee roster is taken up by new guys. The Vols have done well on the recruiting front, especially in the transfer portal. Many of these new guys will be expected to take on a key role early on, both freshmen and transfers. 

Everyone knows about Nico Iamaleava, and his usage is up in the air sitting behind Joe Milton III, but transfers like Andrej Karic and Gabe Jeudy-Lally will be critical to the Vols championship hopes this season. 10% of the roster are those scholarship transfers, with 31% being the new signees like Nico. While many programs would not be happy with losing and replacing as much as Tennessee has, the program is level-headed, with Josh Heupel leading the charge. His next-man-up mentality is adopted by the team itself, as evidenced by the Orange Bowl performance last season after losing the SEC Offensive POTY. The season will hang largely on what the new guns can do for big orange. And if they can produce, it will be a delight to be in Neyland this year.

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