Tennessee under Josh Heupel was sailing in high momentum after their first-ever CFP appearance last year. They had some of the most exciting players returning and, most of all, they had their stalwart QB Nico Iamaleava. However, things didn’t pan out so smoothly for the head coach. Nico changed wagons to UCLA after major controversy over NIL money and negotiations, and Tennessee was then left high and dry with an empty QB room, with an inexperienced Jake Merklinger. But all that changed quickly…

The transfer portal was already open, and Heupel didn’t wait to tap into it. The head coach brought in Joey Aguilar from Appalachian State, and the woes started retreating. After all, the guy was coming after producing back-to-back 3,000+ yard seasons with his team and showed great potential. So does this mean he is as good as Nico? And even if he is, will Tennessee still have enough in their offense to finally help Aguilar succeed?

Standing at 6’3 and 220 lbs, the Aguilar had no offers from FBS Division 1 colleges out of high school. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the talent to succeed. With just one year of eligibility remaining, He is considered one of the most underrated QBs in college football and might surprise many. Moreover, his dual-threat talent and strong arm show great potential for him, too. The question now boils down to the receiving corps.

Brent Hubbs, the publisher of Volquest.com, spoke in On3’s CFB podcast with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman on June 10 about the inexperience at wide receiver. “They didn’t get a big-name transfer guy at the receiver position. They don’t have a lot of numbers there; they’ve got a bunch of young guys there that are going to have to go and figure out how much they tweak to help those young guys.” Josh Heupel has a history of performing well with a variety of QBs and their varied capabilities – some having short arms, some tall, while some had great arms. But it’s not the QB room alone that would push the game towards the W. “You’re going to have to win at the receiver position with a bunch of young guys. How do you help those guys win? I think that’s going to be a real challenge,” said Brent Hubbs.

Currently, the wide receiver room does look depleted with Mike Matthews, a sophomore who received 90 yards and is coming back. Another player like Chris Brazzell II, who had a 333-yard season last year, is returning as a redshirt junior. Apart from him, the redshirt freshman Braylon Staley, who had sparse appearances for just 21 yards, is coming back. Amongst incoming transfers, Amari Jefferson comes from Alabama, who hasn’t recorded a single stat yet in college football. So, the receiver room does look depleted. The question is: Can Josh Heupel cope with it?

Is Josh Heupel in a crisis ahead of the 2025 season?

So with these players and the QB Joey Aguilar in mind, what can one expect from Tennessee in 2025? Will they qualify for the playoffs again, or will they fall into obscurity after their Nico Iamaleava debacle? Certainly, expecting to qualify for a playoff again with Aguilar, despite his abilities, would be tough. And that’s the reason the Tennessee fans have to tone down their hopes. Analyst Joe DeLeon talked about a similar thing.

“To be very direct, I don’t think that this team is a playoff team in 2025. I feel as though the Nico situation is going to be such an awful anchor that could hold this team back. And what I mean is not that Nico was the key piece, was the key missing piece to this team getting over—because his performance last year, as we discussed after that whole saga, was incredibly disappointing. Incredibly disappointing. He held them back in some instances,” said DeLeon.

In terms of scheduling, the Vols’ schedule isn’t too easy either, and that makes the situation much more complicated. For context, they face Syracuse in their opening game, which exceeded all expectations with their new head coach, Fran Brown. Then, in the third week, they face off against Kirby Smart‘s Georgia Bulldogs. Then the Alabama game on the road will be an uphill battle, and then comes Oklahoma, who look ready this year, and Florida. All big bullies. The situation seems tough for now, and Josh Heupel might not be able to do anything at all.