Joe Milton served as a placeholder last season for the Tennessee Volunteers but performed admirably under center for the Vols. The future is now, as highly-touted phenom Nico Iamaleava is set to take hold of the starting quarterback position. Iamaleava got a small taste in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Iowa, completing 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for three more scores in the Vols 35-0 Victory over the Hawkeyes. It’s worth noting that Iowa only allowed over 20 points on three occasions last season, so this was very eye-opening. Iamaleava has Knoxville buzzing with all the hype surrounding him going into the 2024 season, and he’s primed and ready for a breakout season in Knoxville Tennessee.
How Tennessee Volunteers Played In The Orange And White Game
The Volunteers are officially done with spring football. The Orange team squeaked out a four-point victory over the White Team. We got to see many different young players and new transfers perform in front of Neyland Stadium. There was a lot of energy in the building, as there’s much excitement, optimism, and hype surrounding this team going into the 2024 season. Nico Iamaleava didn’t get much playing time in the spring game. That’s probably because Tennessee wants to see what kind of depth they have at the position, and it looks very good so far, as quarterback Gaston Moore and Jake Merklinger played well throughout the day.
Wide Receiver Mike Matthews had an outstanding performance in the orange and white game. He scored a long touchdown and consistently separated from the defensive backs downfield. He also made some key blocks on the edge that gave other receivers easy yardage downfield. Several other freshman defenders like Boo Carter, made some big stops throughout the afternoon as well. With the conclusion of the orange and white game, we got to see the depth and the young talent of this Tennessee football team, and they will definitely be an electric team to watch in the upcoming 2024 season.
The Questions That Still Remain For The Vols And The Big Winners of The Orange And White Game
Tennessee returns no starters in its secondary and said farewell to several backups as well. The Vols had to fix this problem so they transferred in three defensive backs. Likely starters include Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy, Andre Turrentine, and Jourdan Thomas. Fans were curious who was going to start on the side opposite Jermod McCoy, and I think we got our answer in the orange and white game, as the depth chart really showed in the spring game with Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III making up the cornerbacks.
Jakobe Thomas and John Slaughter rounded out at safety, and Jourdan Thomas played the ‘STAR’ position played in most 4-3 schemes. The second group up was Will Brooks, and Jalen McMurray with Boo Carter at the ‘STAR’ position. The depth chart will change a little going into the fall, but the spring game showed a glimpse of the unit for sure. It’s hard to decipher how much of the success was from the secondary and how much success came from the defensive line stepping up and causing havoc.
The big winner or winners of the orange and white game was definitely the defensive line. This group battled offside penalties and procedural issues but all in all looked how you would expect the veteran group to look, sharp and on point. The group totaled four sacks while holding the overall rushing yards on the day to just 68, and the line was constant in the backfield. This Tennessee defense combined with their offensive potential has them primed and ready to make a deep run this year going further than just the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.