Tennessee Volunteers Most Important Player This College Football Season

Who is the most important player for the Tennessee Volunteers this college football season?

Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Tony Muskett (11) lays on the ground as Volunteers defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) celebrates his sack with teammates during their game at Nissan Stadium Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. / Caitie McMekin / News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Who is the most important player for the Tennessee Volunteers this college football season?

The 2024 college football season is approaching rapidly and the Tennessee Volunteers are on the verge of entering a very exciting season. Nico Iamaelava being the starting quarterback has created a belief that head coach Josh Heupel can get his offense back to the form at it was in 2022. But who is the most important player for the Volunteers this season? Well, one major news outlet took a shot at it.

ESPN released an article that ranked the 25 most important players in college football this season. The criteria for a player to make the list was described as if a player has a breakout season in 2024, how impactful will that be on the outcome of the year? So for those reasons, edge rusher James Pearce Jr. came in at 23rd overall.

"Sometimes we see a breakthrough coming, other times it comes out of nowhere. Pearce, a three-star true sophomore, exploded onto the scene in 2023, recording 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Among players with 200 or more pass-rush attempts, his 20.2% pressure rate ranked third nationally, and his 4.9% havoc rate (TFLs, passes defended and forced fumbles per play) ranked first. His performance in a win over Iowa (six TFL, 1.5 sacks) in the Citrus Bowl was about as good as you'll ever see. He became so dominant so quickly that it almost leads you to wonder: He doesn't have another gear, does he? And how transformative might it be for Tennessee (and the contenders Tennessee plays) if he does? - Bill Connelly"

If there's another level to Pearce Jr. compared to the season he just had in 2023 then by all means he would have a major impact on the outcome of the season and another breakout season. However, the argument could be made that there are other players on the roster who are more important. Because even if Pearce Jr. doesn't necessarily improve that much from last season, he's still a really good and impactful football player. Whereas if Iamaleava breaks out on the scene this year then that absolutely is changing the trajectory of the season. Wide receiver Bru McCoy could also be put into this discussion. An injury robbed him of the majority of the 2023 season, so if he has a breakout season in 2024 then that might what Tennessee needed to make the playoffs this season.

At the end of the day, it's difficult to narrow that down to just one player. A lot of names will be playing a big role this season for the Volunteers and they as a unit need to breakout more than any individual.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.