Coach Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers enter the 2023 college football season with a lot of new faces. The returning receivers from last season include : Bru McCoy, Ramel Keaton, and Squirrel White. New additions that can lead to an immediate impact : Nathan Leacock and Dont’e Thornton Jr. I think it’s also important to mention their freshman running back Cam Seldon. He’s a big, athletic playmaker who can make an immediate impact from the backfield or split out as a receiver.

Last season, the Volunteers averaged 525 total yards of offense with 326/199 passing/rushing yards respectively. Hendon Hooker lead with 3,135 passing yards followed by Joe Milton with 971. The leading rushers included Jaylen Wright(875 yards), Jabari Small(734 yards), Hendon Hooker(430 yards), and Dylan Sampson(397 yards).

What will be different from last season? I think that if Joe Milton finally comes in at quarterback and shows that he has improved his accuracy, the Vols will increase their passing yards from last year. Milton is more athletic than Hooker and with Darnell Wright going to the Chicago Bears, pocket navigation and his ability to move will be tested. Milton’s velocity on the ball may limit yards after the catch like what happened at Florida with Anthony Richardson but I think it’s important to note the connection he highlighted with Squirrel White during the Clemson game. 9 catches for 108 yards shows that Squirrel can be trusted in the short, mid, and long passing scenarios.

The competition for most productive offense is the 2019 LSU team. They average 569 yards per game with a split of 402 passing/167 rushing yards. The below scenarios will help the Volunteers increase their total offense per game and allow them to compete with Joe Burrow and the 2019 LSU team.

1. Joe Milton’s accuracy and touch on the ball has improved.
2. They don’t have a nonconference game like the Pitt game where they ended up with 416 total yards.
3. Cameron Selden comes into their offense as a freshman and shows out as a playmaker.
4. Heupel’s offense tears apart the lesser SEC teams and increases their average to 600 yards per game vs. teams like Vanderbilt, Missouri, and South Carolina.
5. The Vols play Georgia at home this year and finally win that game in convincing fashion.
6. Dont’e Thornton Jr. fits into the offense perfectly and shows off his vertical route running ability like what his highlights show from Oregon.
7. The offensive line doesn’t collapse with Darnell Wright gone. The new left tackle John Campbell Jr. shows his years at Miami were worth bringing to the Vols.
8. The Volunteers defense shows significant improvement in their ability to stop drives. Their defensive line is looking to be improved with experience as well as their secondary.

If the Volunteers can take a few of these scenarios and consistently show them throughout the season I do think they can show why Heupel is a game changer with his offense. Tennessee does not have the talent the 2019 LSU team had, which is what a lot of people will use to discredit them if they do compete with their offensive output. Heupel does run a gimmicky offense that does not transition well to the NFL, but it is electric, fun to watch, and has been contributing to winning seasons. That’s why at the end of the day, competing with the 2019 LSU offense is strictly a numbers game.

*This post will be updated throughout the season with more comprehensive analysis*