“I said it’s great to be a Tennessee Vol.” That chant rang throughout Neyland Stadium and the surrounding areas on campus the first time I attended a football game at the University of Tennessee more than a decade ago.
Unfortunately, that chant has not been used nearly as much in my lifetime, as it was the years before my birth. Tennessee was a giant in the world of college football, with their dynasty peaking with the 1998 BCS National Championship. Funny enough, ever since that win in the first-ever BCS National Championship, Tennessee’s football program has been an inconsistent mess with a revolving door of coaches and players.
Just in my time following Tennessee football I’ve seen the program headed by Phillip Fulmer, Lane Kiffin, Derrick Dooley, Butch Jones, Jeremey Pruitt, and now Josh Heupel. Each era is defined by different games and players, each having one common denominator — heartbreak in the end.
At some points, it seemed as if things would never get better and the lows somehow got lower. That’s the great thing about this program, the undying hope that it emits.
The Vols are like a lighthouse and their die-hard fanbase a lost boat in the sea. The fans preach of the lighthouse and the great beach it is on, but it seems as if they will never find their way back to that oh-so-great beach. Every so often, the light can be seen and the fans, lost at sea, find themselves believing once again.
Despite every obstacle imaginable, the University of Tennessee’s football program seems to have hope once again. Hope is at a high that hasn’t been seen in quite some time thanks to head coach Josh Heupel.
Hot Start for Heupel
2021 was Heupel’s first season as the head man for the Vols.
He was hired after the previous coach Jeremey Pruitt was fired with a cause in December of 2020.
Heupel took over a program that was in shambles and unrecognizable to the dynasty it once was. Star players on both sides of the ball entered the transfer portal, making Heupel’s job even harder.
Heupel installed his high-flying offense to a new team and took the SEC and country by storm. After Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker took over the starting quarterback job in Week 3, the Vols became lethal.
Hooker had a career season as he threw for 2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just three interceptions while accumulating a QBR of 77.9. He also completed 68.2% of his passes. This came after a 2020 season in which he passed for just 1,339 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Hooker’s immediate improvement raised eyes not only from the fans and media but quarterback prospects around the country.
Program Changing Recruit
The great first year from Hooker and Heupel has resulted in Tennessee receiving the commitment from a program-changing recruit.
On Monday, March 21, 2022, Nico Iamaleava from Long Beach, California committed to play at Tennessee. He chose the Vols over Alabama, Oregon, and Georgia.
Iamaleava is a 2023 QB prospect, 247Sports considers him the No. 7 player in his class and the No. 4 QB. Iamaleava is the type of quarterback and player that can change a program.
With a 6-foot-5-inch, 195-pound frame, Iamaleava is the type of QB that skills players dream to play with and NFL scouts salivate over.
As a high school junior, Iamaleava passed for 2,244 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just one interception. He did that while completing 162 of 272 passes. Iamaleva also rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns as a junior.
Iamaleava’s high level of play made him a five-star recruit and one of the most sought-after players in the country. Scouts compare his game to that of Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. That comparison should fire up Tennessee fans.
Iamaleava will attract other high-level players to possibly commit to Tennessee. High-level players want to play together and why not in an offense like the one at Tennessee.
It will be very interesting to see how Iamaleava’s commitment shakes up the recruitment trail for the class of 2023 and who will choose to join him in Knoxville.
Final Thoughts
It truly feels as if Tennessee is very close to being back to its old ways. They seem so close to getting away from their nearly two decades of subpar football.
Heupel has installed an offensive system in Knoxville that has made Hooker go from an afterthought to a Heisman dark horse and future NFL QB. The development of Hooker attracted a high-level player like Iamaleava to the Tennessee program.
Heupel and Iamaleava are looking to bring a certain swagger to Knoxville. A swagger that could be seen in a photoshoot in which Heupel can be seen behind the wheel of a G-Wagon, while Iamaleava is sticking his head out of the sun window. They hope to translate that swagger into winning SEC Championships, Heisman Trophies, and College Football Playoff games.
As Iamaleava would say “it’s cool to be a Vol, again.”
The hype for next season will reach a fever pitch by August. Fans will flood the gates of Neyland Stadium in hopes they will get the chance to chant in unison with 100,000 of their closest friends “I said it’s great to be a Tennessee Vol.”
