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Tennessee Defense Called ‘One of the Most Underrated Units’ in Football by Nick Saban

High praise for Tim Banks’ unit from the greatest head coach of all time.

Tanner Johnson

Pat McAfee Nick Saban, and Lee Corso fist bump before live broadcast during ESPN Gameday near Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.Saturday, September 14, 2024.
Pat McAfee Nick Saban, and Lee Corso fist bump before live broadcast during ESPN Gameday near Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.Saturday, September 14, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Tennessee is ranked No. 5 in the country heading into a bye week after starting the season 4-0. One of the biggest reasons for that great start is the Vols’ defense.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, now an analyst for College GameDay, recently spoke about how impressed he has been with the Vols’ defense that currently ranks No. 1 in the FBS in yards allowed per game. He made the following comments on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I think Tennessee’s defense is probably one of the most underrated units in college football,” Saban said. “You talk about the offense, we talk about Nico [Iamaleava], we talk about all that stuff, fastball. But their defense is the real deal.”

Saban referenced “fastball” which is a term for the Vols and head coach Josh Heupel’s brand of offense that utilizes warp speed tempo to catch defenses off guard. Saban knows all too well about how effective Tennessee’s offense can be. The Vols scored more points on his Alabama defense than any team ever did when the Vols beat the Tide in 2022 by a score of 52-49.

The seven-time national championship winning coach continued to discuss how well the Vols played defensively against Oklahoma, stressing the benefits of having a good defense that will play well on the road. Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks have built an impressive unit that Saban is very complimentary of.

“They played really well in their last game,” Saban said. “I think the good thing about having a defense, people say it all the time, defense travels. Even when you’re playing on the road, you can play good on defense. It might affect the offense but the defense will always play well. I think Tennessee’s defense was outstanding. I think Oklahoma’s defense is outstanding. I just think that Tennessee has a little more balance because they’re a pretty good offensive team as well.”

The Vols will need their defense to travel with them to Fayetteville when they face Arkansas next week. The Razorbacks have a potent offensive attack led by new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and quarterback Taylen Green. The bye week should provide Heupel and Banks with more than enough time to put together a plan for the Razorbacks’ offense.

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Tanner Johnson
TANNER JOHNSON

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