What Josh Heupel said about opt-outs for Tennessee football vs Iowa in Citrus Bowl

Tennessee football won the Orange Bowl last season thanks in part to NFL-bound players who didn’t opt out.

Coach Josh Heupel hopes that will repeat in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl when the No. 21 Vols (8-4) play No. 17 Iowa (10-3) on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET, ABC) in Orlando, Florida.

“Last year, we had a good bulk of guys that were going to be in the draft that ultimately participated in the Orange Bowl,” Heupel said Sunday. “This is a great game against a great opponent.

“We certainly hope that we get the bulk of our guys that are going to help us go be ready to play on Jan. 1.”

Quarterback Joe Milton, defensive end Tyler Baron and running back Jaylen Wright are among the team’s top NFL prospects.

Offensive tackle John Campbell, an Orlando native, could also be an NFL prospect if he decides to forgo his COVID-exempt year. He missed the last two games of the season due to injury, and Heupel hasn’t updated his status.

Heupel said he plans to talk with each NFL prospect about their plans closer to the bowl game.

Last season, offensive tackle Darnell Wright and defensive end edge rusher Byron Young played in Tennessee’s win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman (injury) opted out.

Wright was the No. 10 overall pick of the Chicago Bears. The other three players were drafted in third round.

Tight end Princeton Fant, offensive guard Jerome Carvin, defensive end Latrell Bumphus and punter Paxton Brooks also played in the Orange Bowl. And they signed as NFL undrafted free agents.

Orlando is Joe Milton’s second home

Milton, a sixth-year senior, grew up in Pahokee, Florida. But he went to Olympia High in Orlando. And he hinted after the win over Vanderbilt that he planned to play in the bowl game.

“It’s been a great three years, and we’ve got one more,” Milton said, referring to one more game.

In terms of NFL Draft stock, Milton likely has more to gain than lose by playing the Citrus Bowl. He won the Orange Bowl MVP with a strong performance after a month of preparation for the game.

Iowa has one of college football’s best defense, and it’s especially stingy against the pass. The Hawkeyes had the No. 9 pass defense in FBS. They didn’t allow an opponent to pass for 250 yards in a game this season.

Jaylen Wright would face stout run-stoppers

Wright is only a junior, but he could leave early for the NFL Draft after rushing for 1,013 yards this season. His 7.4 yard-per-carry average ranked No. 6 nationally.

Iowa would pose quite a challenge to Wright, as well.

The Hawkeyes have allowed only four rushing TDs this season, the second fewest in the nation.

Iowa ranks No. 4 in scoring defense, giving up only 13.2 points per game.

VOLS VS IOWA Citrus Bowl prediction, scouting report

Tyler Baron could pressure Iowa quarterback

Baron is a senior, but he has one season of eligibility remaining because of a COVID-exempt year. He’s expected to enter the draft.

But will he play in the Citrus Bowl?

Baron has 10.5 tackles-for-loss and six sacks as one of the SEC’s top defensive linemen.

Against Iowa, he would face an anemic offense. The Hawkeyes rank last among 133 FBS teams in total offense (238.8 ypg) and No. 130 in scoring offense (16.6 ppg).

Iowa has allowed 28 sacks this season, which is a lot for a team that doesn’t rely on its passing game. The Hawkeyes have struggled under pressure. Only one team in the nation has a worst completion percentage than Iowa’s 49.8%.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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