Tennessee Volunteers Projected to be Top 15 Team Over Next Three Seasons

The Tennessee Volunteers are projected to be a top-15 team in college football over the next three seasons.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel motions to the field during the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game between Tennessee and Iowa in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

The Tennessee Volunteers are projected to be a top-15 team in college football over the next three seasons.

The Tennessee Volunteers are shaping up to have a bright immediate future. They have landed some big names in the last few recruiting cycles and look to be a hopeful playoff team over the next couple of seasons under head coach Josh Heupel.

ESPN wrote an article that projected the future college football power rankings through 2026 and Tennessee came in at No. 13. The article mentioned that Tennessee's quarterback room ranked 12th in the country and both the offense and team ranked were listed inside of the top 10. Here is what some of the article said about Tennessee's future:

"Tennessee is 20-6 since the start of the 2022 season and is poised to be a more realistic CFP contender with the field expanding to 12. Coach Josh Heupel's offense has surged under different transfer quarterbacks, and he now gets one of his recruits at the helm in redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, who will play at least through 2025. Iamaleava, a top-25 prospect in 2023, flashed his athleticism in limited work last season. There's not much proven depth behind him, but Tennessee has recruited well by signing Jake Merklinger, a top-200 recruit in 2024, and landing a commitment from top-60 prospect George MacIntyre for 2025."

The Volunteers are hopeful of making the playoff this year in Iamaleava's first season as a starter, but even if they don't, the future looks bright enough for them to get some more cracks at it in the next three years. Tennessee's best season under Heupel was in 2022 under an offensive-led team, and based on how they have recruited some of the offensive positions, they could return to that form.

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

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