Vols Open Season Ranked No. 24 In AP Top 25
Image: Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
The Tennessee Volunteers will kick off the 2025 college football season ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 Poll, marking the third consecutive year Josh Heupel’s program has received a nod in the preseason rankings.
The Vols enter the 2025 campaign fresh off their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, earning the No. 9 seed before falling to eventual national champion Ohio State on the road in Columbus.
The ranking seems kind of… conservative.
UT finished the 2024 season ranked ninth and brought back a defensive core led by linebacker Arion Carter, All-American corner Jermod McCoy, and versatile playmaker Boo Carter in the secondary.
Obviously, as we all know, the offense is the biggest question mark.
Nico Iamaleava is now at UCLA, App State and UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar is the presumed starter by most fans, bringing in over 6,700 passing yards and 56 touchdowns from his previous stop.
Top 25 matchups for the Volunteers include marquee home games against No. 5 Georgia and No. 18 Oklahoma, as well as road trips to face No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and No. 15 Florida in Gainesville.
Josh Heupel and the Volunteers open the season on Aug. 30 against the Syracuse Orange in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
