The Volunteer State

Joe Milton opened last season as UT's starter but struggled in the role. He lost the job by Week 3. However, he showed progress this spring, including a robust performance in the scrimmage. 

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks discuss what Milton's spring showing means for his 2022 season.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee football doesn't lack for rivals, but most of its top rivalries lack sizzle because of competitive imbalance.

If there's room for another rival, how about Ole Miss? As long as Lane Kiffin is in Oxford, the Rebels will be a marquee opponent for UT. Just one problem: In the SEC's current scheduling format, the teams don't play often enough, but that should change after the conference expands.

On this edition of The Volunteer State, Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks debate whether Ole Miss could take on more of a rival role for the Vols.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee is coming off a winning season, has a competent coach and is positioned to sign a five-star quarterback for the first time since 2002 after Monday's commitment from Nico Iamaleava.

The Vols still must prove they're capable of climbing the SEC East's ladder, but UT is displaying undeniable signs of progress.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks discuss the impact of Iamaleava's commitment, what it means for freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson and debate when the last time was that Vols football fans were this excited about the direction of the program.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee's up-tempo offense poses problems for opposing defenses, so much so that some opponents attracted suspicion of faking injuries last season.

The NCAA football rules committee could not agree on proposed rule changes to stop the tactic, so, presumably, it will continue this season.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams discuss ways the NCAA could discourage fake injuries.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee last signed a national top-10 recruiting class in 2015. Coach Josh Heupel is coming off a solid debut season, and now the key to climbing the SEC ladder will be elevating the Vols’ recruiting.

Jeremy Pruitt flirted with top-10 classes in 2019 and again in 2020, but it was Butch Jones who last led the Vols into the top 10 of the 247Sports Composite.

On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams debate seven fact-or-fiction scenarios for Tennessee football, including whether Heupel’s second recruiting class will break into the top 10.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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We don't know what the SEC alignment will look like beginning with the 2025 season. We just know change is coming once Oklahoma and Texas join the conference.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said earlier this year that debate is ongoing about how the conference will be aligned after those two schools join from the Big 12.

One option would be to align in two eight-team divisions and play seven division games, plus two interdivision opponents that would rotate each season.

Another format that was the subject of public debate last summer was the possibility of four scheduling pods with four teams apiece. Teams would play the other three teams from their pod annually, along with two opponents apiece from each of the other pods.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams debate whether a division alignment or a four-team pod structure would work better for the Vols.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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The busiest portion of the college football offseason is complete.

The winter brought the coaching carousel, an active transfer market and the final recruiting swing.

Now that this stage of the offseason is complete, let's bust out the red pens to do some grading of how Tennessee fared.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks share their assessments for how the Vols performed in recruiting, staff retention and transfers.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Despite a seven-win season in Josh Heupel's debut, a win total that surpassed most outsider expectations, Tennessee is not ranked in ESPN's early Top 25 for the 2022 season.

Seven SEC teams are ranked by ESPN: No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 23 Ole Miss and No. 25 South Carolina.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks debate whether the Vols being left out of the early rankings is an egregious oversight or understandable.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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National signing day is Wednesday, but the February signing period is almost an afterthought nowadays. 

Division I programs sign most of their recruits during the December signing period, and then the offseason focus gives way to acquiring transfers. 

With the Vols not expected to make much noise Wednesday, let's shift the focus to the freshmen who already are on campus. Tennessee has 18 early enrollees, a number that includes four walk-on players.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams consider the likeliest candidates from this batch of newcomers to make a quick impact.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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KNOXVILLE – In some respects, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is a measuring stick for Tennessee coach Josh Heupel.

But Heupel enjoys an edge over Beamer thanks to Tennessee's 45-20 triumph over the Gamecocks in October. Now, the challenge is maintaining that upper hand after South Carolina added quarterback Spencer Rattler, a transfer from Oklahoma.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks review how Heupel and Beamer exceeded expectations in 2021.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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