Imagine building a luxury crib with marble floors, LED-lit ceilings, and a skyline view… and then boom—someone yanks the whole foundation out overnight. That’s what just went down with a big-name SEC squad. First Michigan, then Washington. Now? Another powerhouse just stepped on the same landmine. Y’all remember how Michigan won the natty in 2023 and looked straight-up mid in 2024? Or how Washington went from undefeated darlings to 6-7 nobodies after half their roster dipped? Yeah, the same crew that went 10-3 last season, looked like a legit CFP threat, and had folks in Knoxville talkin’ spicy. Now? They’re scrambling like a Waffle House cook on Sunday morning. Y’all ever seen a roster get hit so hard, it looked like a group chat exodus?
Tennessee Vols thought they were him after putting together a solid 10 win season and sliding into the CFP. But once that 42-17 beatdown from Ohio State wrapped up, the Vols didn’t just lose—man, they leaked. Think fire sale. Twenty-five players hit the transfer portal or declared for the draft like it was a TikTok challenge. Some dipped for the league, most bounced through the portal like it was a buy-one-get-one free exit deal. It was less “next man up” and more “who’s left?” Wideouts? Gone. DBs? Vanished. Running backs? Outta here.
On April 7th, Vols HC, Josh Heupel hit the press after their spring scrimmage and kept it real about their mass exodus, especially at the receiving corps: “Listen, ultimately it’s always about the guys in the room. A year ago, we had some guys that departed through the transfer portal. Hard to keep everybody happy at that position. I love the group that we’ve got. As a staff, you always evaluate where you’re at on the back end of spring ball and we’ll certainly do that, but I do really like the guys that we’ve got in there. How they work, how they compete, how they try and grow. That’s on the practice field. It’s outside of it. I like what they’ve done through the course of spring ball, too.”
Look, losing 25 players ain’t normal, it never ended well for any program. Josh Heupel’s basically saying—yeah, some guys dipped, but whatever. Can’t please everyone, especially at wideout. He ain’t sweating it though, still rockin’ with who’s left.
Let’s talk facts: The WR room got decimated. Squirrel White? Gone to FSU. Cam Seldon? Virginia Tech. Kaleb Webb? Packed up for Maryland. Chas Nimrod? Sayonara to South Florida. The room’s so empty you can hear the echo when Nico Iamaleava drops back to pass. Only two scholarship wideouts remain: Chris Brazzell II and Braylon Staley. That’s not a depth chart, that’s a duo. Now, Vols fans are leaning hard on Nico. And look, dude’s got promise. 2,616 yards last season, 19 touchdowns, five picks, and a 63.8% completion rate. But let’s keep it a buck—eight of those tuddies came against UTEP and Vandy. That Kirk Cousin-esque stat padding.
Former Vols RB Dylan Sampson backed going into year 2: “I think Nico’s ready. Everybody has full faith and confidence in him and I think it’s just time to, you know, let him go[play].” Cool. Let him go… and throw to who? There are some new faces. Former Bama WR Amari Jefferson, Duke RB Star Thomas, plus O-linemen Wendell Moe Jr. and Sam Pendleton. But this ain’t the Avengers. This is a patch job.
The Vols are relaying big time on Chris Brazell and former 5-star wideout Mike Mathhews heading into 2025 at wideout. Let’s talk Brazzell. Man’s a sleeper. At Tulane, he went from 11 yards to 711 in a season. Last year? 333 yards at Tennessee. Cody Bellaire from On3 said, “Chris Brazzell should not only be a breakout player for Tennessee, but he should be leading the team in targets.” He might have to lead the team in everything at this point. And Mike Matthews? Kid had 7 catches for 90 yards last year. But this spring? He’s looking dangerous.
Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Vols spring practice tea
Despite the chaos, spring ball is rolling. Tennessee held its second closed scrimmage ahead of Saturday’s Orange and White Spring Game. Coach Heupel said, “Just defensively, started fast today. I thought they played extremely well early in the scrimmage.” 80 plays, no media, no leaks. But here’s what we do know: Boo Carter is doing the absolute most. Offense. Defense. Special teams. Man’s playing like he’s getting paid per snap. Josh Heupel said, “When you do that, there’s a whole other workload… He’s done a really good job.”
And it ain’t just Boo Carter. The running back room’s got a new sheriff too. With Sampson NFL-bound, Peyton Lewis is the guy. “He’s got a lot more comfort and understanding… It should be that way in year two,” Heupel said. He added that the rest of the RB room’s growing, especially the young guns. All that said, there’s a real chance this team either surprises the SEC… or folds by October. They’re talented, but thin. Promising, but untested. And the schedule? Not forgiving.
So what’s the vibe in Knoxville? Hope, desperation, and a whole lotta duct tape. If Nico turns up and Matthews and Brazzell become WR1A and WR1B, maybe they hang. If not? We might be watching Michigan and Washington all over again—big dreams, big drop-off, and a season of “what could’ve been.” And that’s the tea.
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