Tennessee
Here’s the 6-step plan to fixing Tennessee football’s offense – including Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee football requires a recalibration of its offense in the offseason. A unit that led the nation in scoring in 2022 is pretty pedestrian this season. And Josh Heupel’s teams aren’t built to succeed with pedestrian offenses. Offense must fuel the Vols’ success.
In Nico Iamaleava, we trust?
Well, sort of.
Better quarterback play is needed in 2024, and Iamaleava will be a redshirt freshman ready for the reins. In brief appearances as Joe Milton’s backup, he’s teased the potential that made him a five-star recruit. But, restoring the offense to full speed calls for more than a quarterback change.
On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams put Tennessee’s offense under the microscope.
Sparks lays out a six-step plan to fixing the offense in the offseason.
ADAMS: What if Nico Iamaleava had been Tennessee football’s starting quarterback in 2023?
SPARKS: Here are 17 Tennessee football seniors who can return in 2024 due to COVID. Should they?
TOPPMEYER: Why Mississippi State should considering hiring Tennessee native Jamey Chadwell
Pieces Nos. 1 and 2: Two offensive linemen – The Vols will need to hit the transfer portal to address these needs. They don’t just need warm bodies. They need legitimate starters.
Piece 3: One tight end – Once again, the transfer portal will be the key to addressing this need.
Piece 4: A playmaking wide receiver – Not a Dont’e Thornton type. A Bru McCoy type – someone who can catch 40-plus passes.
Piece 5: A dynamic starting quarterback – Nico Iamaleava must be a hit. The Vols need higher-level quarterback play. They need more than a game manager. They need a playmaker.
Piece 6: Better coaching – Something must change in terms of play calling, play design, game planning. That doesn’t necessarily mean a staff change is required, but Heupel must re-enter the lab to figure out what didn’t work this season, why it didn’t work, and how he can fix it.
Toppmeyer’s rebuttal: If next season’s offensive renaissance requires Heupel to go on a transfer raid, then I’m not confident about Tennessee’s offensive renaissance. Heupel’s track record for securing high-impact transfers has been underwhelming, compared to many of his SEC peers.
Adams’ rebuttal: If Iamaleava is the real deal, a lot of these other problems will take care of themselves. Everything gets better when you have an A-list quarterback at the controls.
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. John Adams is the News Sentinel’s senior columnist. Adam Sparks covers the Vols. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. They also host the lightly acclaimed “SEC Football Unfiltered” podcast.