Joel Klatt Says He’s Selling Tennessee Ahead of 2025 Season

Image: Jeffrey Brown

By Aidan Sidoti

Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff announcer Joel Klatt isn’t bullish on the Volunteers outlook in 2025.

On his show The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast, Klatt named UT as the No. 1 “sell team” entering the season.

“Tennessee is a team that I could see take a step back,” Klatt said. “They’ve got the quarterback situation, which I don’t love. Losing a quarterback that late in the spring is not great.”

Tennessee added Joey Aguilar from the transfer portal following the ultra-dramatic departure of Nico Iamaleava, a move most Vol fans welcomed.

Klatt noted that Aguilar, a UCLA transfer who played last season at App State, has had limited time in Heupel’s system and brings ball security concerns. “Aguilar, by the way, led the country in interceptions last year with 14 when he was at App State. I think that’s a problem.” 

The Big Noon Kickoff star also emphasized the loss of SEC Player of the Year Dylan Sampson, four starters on the offensive line, and a young wide receiver corps. While Klatt said the Volunteers’ defense ‘should be fine,’ uncertainty surrounding star corner Jermod McCoy– who’s recovering from a January ACL injury, could raise questions in the Vols’ secondary. 

Heupel and company will navigate a “reasonable” SEC schedule in 2025, but Klatt projects a September loss to the Bulldogs and has concerns about tough road games to Tuscaloosa and Gainesville. 

“This is a quarterback-centric system that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback to make post-snap downfield reads,” Klatt said. “That player is vital.” 

While Klatt still believes in Josh Heupel and Tennessee long-term, he didn’t offer up much sunshine to Vol fans: “This is an easy team to sell for this year… I just think it could be a difficult one.”