Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker goes into his fifth season of collegiate play as the Vols’ starter, having earned the job last season after coming off the bench to set program records for a 181.4 passing efficiency and a 68% completion percentage. Hooker also threw 31 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He signed with Virginia Tech in 2017 and announced his transfer to Tennessee in January 2021.

-- Photo By Mark Humphrey | Ap

The bar was set extremely low for Tennessee football last season. In the first year under head coach Josh Heupel, the Vols just needed to show any semblance of life.

They needed to avoid being the laughing stock of college football and demonstrate they were making progress and finding an identity.

They exceeded expectations, and now enter this season with more hype.

Echoing the start of the 2021 season, Tennessee hosted a MAC opponent Thursday night when Ball State visited Neyland Stadium. But everything else feels different.

The Vols won’t be satisfied with finishing 7-6 and just making a bowl game. They want to take the next step, and believe they have the increased depth and talent to make it possible.

“Year two should be a lot different than year one,” Heupel says. “It has been. I don’t think you’re ever where you want to be as a coach because you’re always trying to find ways to be better.

“At the same time, we have a pretty good idea of the guys that are running out of that tunnel, who they are, what they’re about, how they’re going to play and compete.”

The Vols received some good news nearly a week before the opener. USC transfer receiver Bru McCoy is eligible to play for the Vols this season after his waiver was approved by the NCAA. McCoy entered the transfer portal in January, committed to Tennessee in May and has been practicing with the team in fall camp.

“When I got the news, man, it sent chills down my spine,” Heupel says. “So excited for him. Young man that’s done it the right way since he’s been here. Has gone through a long, windy journey to get to this point. Now he has an opportunity to move forward with his future and go compete with his teammates, his brothers. Having the chance to tell him and then hear him tell his dad was one of the great moments in my career.”

McCoy will be another weapon to showcase in Heupel’s up-tempo offensive attack, which entertained fans last season and gave analysts a reason to predict future success after so many years of ineptitude and futility.

The Vols return to the field with a higher level of comfort in the system, and a veteran quarterback confidently leading them.

Redshirt senior Hendon Hooker will be starting an opener for the first time as the Tennessee quarterback. The Virginia Tech transfer replaced Joe Milton as the full-time starter last season in Week 3.

How has Hooker grown since last season?

“Just being relaxed. Not being too antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there with my teammates,” he says. “They encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to.”

Having veteran players with familiarity of how things work on and off the field has helped the Vols make bigger gains through spring and fall.

“There’s guys that they can look at and say, ‘That’s how you do it? Awesome. I’m going to try to replicate it and obviously get better.’ So, drastically (different). It’s easier in year two,” says offensive coordinator Alex Golesh. “The expectations are also higher and the standards are also higher, so our job as coaches, hold them to that standard and then if they don’t achieve that standard, put their feet to the fire.”

The Vols are down to four scholarship running backs after Clemson transfer Lyn-J Dixon left the program last week following only a few days on campus.

Jabari Small returns as UT starter after rushing for 792 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Jaylen Wright is back on the field after suffering a minor injury in fall camp.

Freshman Justin Williams-Thomas and Dylan Sampson have made a good impression in practices.

“Dylan, man, like a unique clone of Jabari in terms of being able to get the ball out in space, really, really good hands, elite vision for a young guy,” Golesh says. “Like, different than what I thought off of high school film. I liked the high school film – you just didn’t know he was going to have vision like he has. He’s a natural running back. He’s not big, but he’s as fast as any back in this league is going to be.”

Meanwhile, fans will notice Neyland Stadium featuring some new bells and whistles – and the restoration of an old tradition – this season.

For the first time in more than a decade, the iconic V-O-L-S letters have returned to the south end of the stadium. Two sets with an orange background and white lettering have been installed as part of the stadium upgrades this offseason. The original V-O-L-S letters debuted in 1966 but were removed in 2009 when a video board was being replaced.

Additionally, Neyland will have new video boards in the north and south end zones, a first for the north side and part of the new North End Zone Social Deck.

The North End Zone Social Deck will offer fans a view with a sports bar feel and upgraded amenities, including all-local craft beer on tap that will rotate throughout the season and a walk-through market with self-checkout available.

Neyland is going all digital for tickets and parking passes this season. They have to be accessed through a mobile device, and all tickets will feature a unique bar code. Fans will enter the stadium via pedestal scanners.

The Vols are eager to feel the energy of game day again. They got a taste of how passionate the UT faithful can be when things are working well and optimism fills their spirit. The loyalists have been deprived for so long, and want even more.

The players feel the same.

“I expect us to come out and play with our hair on fire,” says junior defensive lineman Omari Thomas. “Play hard, play fast and just focus on the small details: the alignment, the personnel, down and distance, things like that. Just play together as a unit. The crowd is crazy in Neyland, everyone knows. I can’t wait to get in Neyland and just be able to experience it with the crowd.”