The Volunteer State

Can we put to bed the narrative that Josh Heupel is an average recruiter?

That was one of the knocks on Heupel when Tennessee hired him in 2021. Since then, though, he’s been a steady recruiter – NIL helps – and he’s assembling his best class ever.

The Vols are on a recruiting hot streak. Their 2025 recruiting class is positioned for a top-10 national finish. Also, Heupel continues to be a dynamite recruiter of quarterbacks. Tennessee beat out Alabama and LSU to earn a commitment from five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, the nation’s top-ranked prospect in the 2026 recruiting class.

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams examine the Vols’ recruiting heater and what it means for Heupel’s reputation on the trail.

Also, what will Tennessee’s quarterback depth charts look like in 2025 and ’26? The Vols will be stacked at the position in 2025, when Nico Iamaleava should remain the headliner, but will a transfer or two affect the depth chart in ’26?

If Iamaleava and Brandon are as good as advertised, Tennessee is well-positioned for the future.

Todd Helton earned induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and Knox News literally traveled by plane, train and automobile to cover the ceremony.

The IT outages stranded reporter Mike Wilson in New York, so he kicked it old school and traveled by Amtrak to Upstate New York. There, in the idyllic town of Cooperstown, Helton earned his enshrinement.

A Knoxville native. A standout Vol. Now, a Hall of Famer.

Helton was a force of consistency throughout his 17-year career spent entirely with the Colorado Rockies. A sweet-swinging, slick-fielding first baseman, he posted a career .316 batting average.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson unpack Helton’s journey from Knoxville to Cooperstown -- and Wilson’s hectic, circuitous journey there, as well. 

They examine Tennessee’s impact on Helton’s career and why some Vols fans still remember him best as a quarterback.

Paul Finebaum's optimism grows for Tennessee football.

The SEC Network's opinion king emerged from SEC media days feeling more bullish about the Vols' playoff chances and their place within the conference pecking order.

Is that sunny outlook warranted?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Adam Sparks re-evaluate Tennessee's playoff prospects and assess whether their estimation of Tennessee has improved, regressed or stayed about the same throughout the offseason.

Their verdict: A 9-3 record is more likely than a playoff berth, but an accommodating schedule nonetheless helps make Tennessee a playoff contender.

Also in this episode, an update on the latest developments in the Neyland Entertainment District project that would bring a hotel, restaurant and bar to liven the area around the stadium near the riverfront, at the expense of the G10 parking garage.

Tennessee didn’t select Nico Iamaleava to be among its contingent at SEC media days, but that did little to contain the hype for the Vols’ ballyhooed redshirt freshman quarterback.

The Nico train is out of the station, and ESPN’s Greg McElroy jumped into the conductor’s seat this week when he predicted Iamaleava will be a Heisman Trophy finalist. That’s lofty praise for a guy with one career start, but Iamaleava oozes talent.

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams outline Iamaleava’s path to becoming a Heisman finalist and predict whether he’ll be among those in New York City.

While no one expects Iamaleava to wilt, part of his Heisman candidacy will be hitched to Tennessee’s playoff status.

So, which side of the Heisman finalist cut does Iamaleava fall on? The hosts issue a split verdict.

Should Tennessee expect a dose of disrespect when the media who cover the SEC vote next week to predict the conference's standings?

Probably a hint of it, at least.

Like the Vols, programs like Alabama and LSU offer a mixture of strengths and lingering questions, but Tennessee might struggle to keep up with those programs in the vote. History sways the vote, and Tennessee spent years swimming in mediocrity before Josh Heupel's arrival, while Alabama and LSU thrived.

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer, John Adams and Adam Sparks predict where Tennessee will be picked in the media's projected order of finish.

Their verdict: Tennessee will be picked No. 6. But, two of the hosts think the Vols should be picked higher than that.

Also in this episode, an explanation for why quarterback Nico Iamaleava did not make the cut to represent the Vols at media days in Dallas.

With one beard – and a lot of victories – Tony Vitello won the hearts of Vols fans.

Now, Tennessee baseball rules the sport, for the first time ever. Tennessee's championship drought is over.

When the Vols beat Texas A&M 6-5 in Game 3 of the College World Series finals on June 24, it marked Tennessee's first national championship in any sport since its women's indoor track and field team won the crown in 2009. That's a 15-year span without a title. How long will Tennessee go before winning its next title? Not that long.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams revisit the baseball team's triumph in Omaha and debate which Tennessee team will be the next to win a national championship.

For this debate, the hosts consider four programs: football, men's and women's basketball and softball.

And the hosts agree that one program stands above the rest as being next in line.

Tennessee baseball enjoys prime positioning to reach the College World Series finals. The Vols' epic rally against Florida State in their first game in Omaha will go down as the one of the top moments in program history. Will it also be the moment that unlocked the path to win the program's first-ever national championship?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson rewind Tennessee's first two victories and assess what's ahead for the Vols.

Wilson says Tennessee remains the team to beat in Omaha. He identifies two others from the SEC on the opposite side of the bracket as top threats: Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Tennessee fans are making their presence felt in Omaha. Pat Summitt's Lady Vols won their last national championship in 2008. Tennessee's women's indoor track and field team won a national title in '09. Since then, Vols fans have been ravenous for something big to celebrate.

How to define success? And what are some good vacation destinations in Mexico?

Tony Vitello has answers to these questions. He also has another College World Series team on his hands. Tennessee’s baseball coach uncorked a lengthy rant after his Vols advanced to the CWS, during which he literally quoted the definition of success from the dictionary.

What had Vitello so worked up?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson unpack Vitello’s meandering monologue, in which he defended his team's success, among many other topics, including travel hot spots.

What did Vitello have caught in his craw? Well, after Game 2, a reporter implied that past Tennessee seasons were unsuccessful because they failed to produce a national championship. Vitello disagreed.

The Vols have been one of the nation's best programs these past several years. Now, can they capture an elusive national championship? Vitello dialed down the pressure on that expectation and explained why the Vols will go to Omaha playing with “house money.”

Later in the episode, a discussion of the nation’s best baseball coaches. Is Vitello No. 1, or is it a different SEC coach?

Tennessee baseball has been here before. Tony Vitello’s success is not new. He’s made winning the expectation. In previous seasons, though, talented Vols teams fizzled before the championship. That doesn’t mean this team will.

In fact, these Vols are a deserving frontrunner to win the national championship. Their path will continue with an NCAA super regional against Evansville. The underdog Purple Aces advanced as a 4-seed out of their regional. There’s nothing underdog about these Vols.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Mike Wilson and John Adams detail Tennessee’s path to a championship and why this team doesn’t feel like a repeat of the 2022 Vols.

Two years ago, Tennessee was an NCAA Tournament frontrunner after becoming a smashing regular-season success before getting bounced in the super regional.

This team is about its business, though, and these Vols don’t have much weakness. Plus, they enjoy a forgiving path to Omaha.

Also in this episode, the hosts explain why Tony Vitello reminds them of some past Vols coaches in other sports.

Transfers are a reality of college football in 2024, but Tennessee loses fewer players than most. Even better, the Vols very rarely lose top performers.

Tennessee bid farewell to 15 transfers this offseason, three of whom were walk-ons. That's the fewest number of transfer departures for any SEC team. By comparison, Alabama lost 39 players to the portal.

How does Josh Heupel pull off this impressive roster retention?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Adam Sparks unpack Tennessee's effectiveness at limiting its number of transfers.

While there's no magic bullet to prevent transfers, the Vols attack this on multiple fronts, from NIL to coaching stability to Tennessee's approach toward adding transfers.

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

Connect on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GoVolsXtra/

Subscribe to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe