Coach Josh Heupel hopes he and his Vols have even more to celebrate this season.

-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.Com

The large ditch outside Neyland Stadium has been filled, and Phillip Fulmer Way has been reopened. Crews are putting the finishing touches on the new entryway. A similar construction process is ongoing for the team playing inside the stadium.

The University of Tennessee football team will return to the field this season with some intriguing changes surrounding some of the main pillars. The Vols have a new starting quarterback, a revamped secondary and some freshmen and transfers expected to shine early.

Whether it’s the Neyland Stadium face-lift or the annual tweaks of the roster, the evolution is intended to create a winning atmosphere and make the product more enjoyable on Saturdays in the fall.

Tennessee fans are pinning their hopes on redshirt freshman QB Nico Iamaleava, the most valuable player of last year’s Citrus Bowl win against Iowa.

-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.Com

Tennessee begins Year 4 of the Josh Heupel era with expectations of finishing in the top half of the now 16-team Southeastern Conference standings and a chance to reach the expanded College Football Playoff. The Vols kickoff the season against Chattanooga Aug. 31 at Neyland Stadium (12:45 p.m. EDT, SEC Network).

Tennessee is ranked No. 15 in The Associated Press preseason poll and was picked to finish No. 7 in the SEC, which has added Texas and Oklahoma this season. The CFP has also expanded from four to 12 teams, with all four power conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion guaranteed spots in the field.

Given the strength of the conference, the SEC is likely to get two or three teams in the CFP field. If the Vols can finish with at least a 10-2 record and no bad losses, they have a chance to be in the running for the national title. UT won 11 games in 2022 and nine games last season.

Sophomore wide receiver Squirrel White, who will wear No. 3 this season, led the Vols with 803 receiving yards last season.

-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.Com

“We never set a ceiling on who and what we can be. I think that was a huge part of the buy-in from our players as we overtook the program. It’s been instrumental in us competing to be our best every single day,” Heupel says. “... You look at the trajectory of where we’re going on all sides, just couldn’t be more excited about where we have an opportunity to get to. We’re in a race to get there as fast as we can.”

Bring on Boomer Sooner

Heupel gets a homecoming to open SEC play on Sept. 21 as the Vols head to Norman to play Oklahoma, where Heupel was a star quarterback for the Sooners and led them to a national title in 2000. Heupel was fired as an offensive coordinator in 2014 by former OU head coach Bob Stoops before finding success as a head coach at the University of Central Florida.

Junior defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. Is on six preseason All-America lists and has been ranked by ESPN as the top college football player in the country going into the 2024 season.

-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.Com

Heupel’s teams have become synonymous with their fast-paced, prolific style of offense, and this season will be no different. Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava will be taking the reins at quarterback. The hype is sky high for the former five-star recruit. Iamaleava was a backup to Joe Milton last season, but started UT’s Citrus Bowl game against Iowa and led the Vols to a win while earning MVP honors.

“Nico’s got really good command of what we’re doing offensively,” Heupel says. “We’ve seen that this offseason. He has great comfort. A lot goes into our quarterback play, and he’s got great command of what we’re doing.”

The UT wide receiving corps is hoping to stay healthy this season and provide Iamaleava with plenty of targets. Squirrel White and Bru McCoy have returned, while Chris Brazell II arrived in Knoxville as a transfer. McCoy’s presence was sorely missed last season after he suffered a season-ending ankle fracture.

“I cannot wait to see these guys and their stories be played out on Saturday. I think that is what gives me an exciting feeling,” UT wide receiver coach Kelsey Pope says. “Football is always fun, but the stories that attach you to these guys and you are going through their journey with them. Then, seeing that play out on Saturday and those guys make plays. That is an awesome feeling. Once the wins come behind that, it is cherries on top.”

The tight end rotation is deeper than in past seasons with the additions of Miles Kitselman and Holden States as transfers. Dylan Sampson leads the running back rotation, and redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop is expected to be a major contributor in the backfield.

Cooper Mays, a preseason All-America first-team selection by nearly every publication and award list, and Javontez Spraggins are the stalwarts on the offensive line. Sophomore Lance Heard has bolstered the unit after transferring from LSU.

“It’s a super veteran crew. There are guys that have played a lot of football,” UT offensive line coach Glen Ellarbe says. “You just go across the board; (Dayne Davis) is a coach on the field, (John Campbell Jr.) is a coach on the field, Coop (Cooper Mays) is always a coach on the field, Spraggs (Javontez Spraggins), coach on the field. Dre (Andrej Karic) in his second year has become a great coach on the field. They know it so well, and they’re helping bring those young guys along.”

Eyes on Pearce, Vols D

The UT defense is led by star edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who was named the No. 1 player in college football on ESPN’s Top 100 player list. Pearce tied for the SEC lead in sacks last season with 9.5 while recording 145 tackles for loss and 27 total tackles.

“Entering his third season at Tennessee, the 6-5, 243-pound Pearce is the top pass rusher in the country despite having started only three career games,” ESPN wrote. “He’s projected as a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and has 16.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his first two seasons. Pearce was a first-team All-SEC selection last season by both the AP and coaches after ranking fifth nationally with 38 total pressures.”

UT’s defensive front should once again be a formidable force overall. Pearce is joined by Omari Thomas and Bryson Eason as tormentors for opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. At linebacker, BYU transfer Keenan Pili has returned from injury to lead the unit.

The secondary has been a pronounced weak spot for the Vols over the last few seasons. Between transfers like Jermod McCoy and incoming freshmen like Boo Carter, they hope to have found some pieces to improve the overall play and give the team a chance to contend for titles as a new era of college football begins.

“I’ve said it from the beginning of the offseason to our coaches and our players, it can’t just be one guy at one position,” Heupel says. “We’re going to have to play multiple guys. It’s just the nature of being in this league and the game that we play.”