Tennessee Football Freshmen That Could Make An Impact on 2024 Season

Jonathan Williams | Jul 13, 2024

Tennessee Edge Rusher Jordan Ross Could Be the Impact Freshman that Tennessee needs defensively. /

The Tennesse Volunteers are heading into year No. 4 under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols have won an average of ten games over the last two seasons as the Jeremy Pruitt era of Volunteer football has fully been put into the rearview it seems. This Heupel football team has become explosive on offense through both the air and the ground with it's vertical choice offense. While becoming an extremely opportunistic football team on the defensive side of the ball.

They've also turned the on-field success into success on the recruiting trail as well. Their 2024 signing class was ranked No. 13 on the consensus rankings according to 247sports.com. However, it's plenty star-studded. Today, we take a look at freshmen that will impact this roster during this 2024 season as true freshmen.

Jordan Ross, EDGE
It's hard enough for a freshman to play in the SEC. You have to have a combination of things going your way, most importantly, the opportunity to play and the physical ability to do so. Jordan Ross at 6'5, 240 pounds... is physically ready for this conference. And though the Vols have perhaps the conference's best-returning rusher in James Pearce Jr. still on the roster, Joshua Josephs and Caleb Herring will get playing time as well. However, situational rushes could be something that Ross sees as a true freshman this fall.

Mike Matthews, WR
One thing Heupel's offense has shown us over the three years in Knoxville, if you're a playmaker, you'll find your way onto the field early. That's exactly what five-star freshman WR, Mike Matthews is. He's a big play waiting to happen in an offense that's predicated on big plays. It might not be immediate, he might grow into a role towards the middle of the season no different from Squirrel White's freshman season when he had 408 of his 481 yards receiving in the season's final 7 games of the season.

Peyton Lewis, RB
With the loss of lead back Jaylen Wright to the NFL Draft, the Vols have 137 carries from a year ago to disperse, and if there's a position where young players who might not have a full grasp of the playbook can still get on the field... it's running back. Peyton Lewis has a very unique trait that every great player in the Heupel offense has... explosivity. Afterall this is a 10.6 100-meter running athlete. This is a very unique burner.

Other Worth Noting:

• Braylon Staley, WR
• Boo Carter, S
• Kaleb Beasley, CB
• Hellen Lindstrom, DL

Tennessee opens the 2024 Regular Season against UT-Chattanooga inside Neyland Stadium on August 31st.

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.