What College Football 25 Reveals About the Tennessee Football Roster

The world of College Football has been consumed by seemingly one talking point for the last month in the midst of the offseason… EA Sports’ College Football 25. Yes, it’s a video game, but it’s been the biggest storyline in the lead up to this fall’s real football that’s upon us.

The Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 15 overall in the game, and they have plenty of weaponry to use and plenty of lessons about the 2024 Tennessee Vols. Here are three things we’ve learned about Tennessee from playing College Football 25.

1. James Pearce Jr. is Over Powered
If there’s one consistent piece of feedback from players of this game… defense is hard. What makes it much easier is having perhaps the game’s best pass rusher in James Pearce Jr. He’s the highest-rated EDGE rusher in the game and he gets home on the quarterback extremely quickly. It’s something that NFL Draft Analysts are expecting from Pearce in what most believe to be his final college football season.

2. Nico Iamaleava’s Legs Are Crucial
There was a significant drop-off offensively a year ago for Tennessee. Part of that was due to a step down in performance throwing the ball, but the running game took a hit from a healthy Hendon Hooker and what Joe Milton’s legs provided. Nico’s running ability is palpable in this game, and it was obvious his legs were a threat against Iowa in his lone start. Iamaleava’s ability to add to the run count with dynamism is going to alleviate pressure.

3. Mike Matthews Needs to Play
If the real life roster works anything like the video game, Mike Matthews will need to make an impact on this roster this fall. He’s rated an 83 OVR, which makes him the fourth highest rated target on the roster, but he’s the second fastest wideout behind Squirrel White and it’s obvious he needs to be subsituted immediately upon playing with the Vols.

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