The Washington Huskies have given a lot of fans around college football inspiration heading into the 2024 season. Washington isn’t a premier program and hasn’t been relevant in the national conversation for a few years, but later tonight, they will face off against the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship.
Their run has many asking, “Who could 2024 Washington be?” 247Sports’s Brad Crawford posed that same question earlier this week and decided on five rosters that have the potential to emulate what the Huskies did this season. One of his five candidates was the Tennessee Volunteers, a program that has been building toward the 2024 and 2025 seasons for a long time. You can read the full article here, but here’s what Crawford had to say about Tennessee’s 2024 outlook.
“Ranked No. 16 nationally in the Team Talent Composite for the 2023 season, the Volunteers acquired a solid roster under Josh Heupel. But they have not been at the elite level necessary to navigate a treacherous SEC schedule. That could change in 2024 due to one primary factor — former five-star Nico Iamaleava at quarterback. He was responsible for four touchdowns in his first career start in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa and last season’s sensation at the position, Hendon Hooker, already deemed him “the chosen one” in Knoxville.That’s high praise given Hooker’s importance to the program and heightened success during his tenure. Like Penix did at Washington, Iamaleava is the type of talent that makes everyone around him better. He is a dynamic option, the first Heupel’s had a quarterback, and gives Tennessee more than a puncher’s chance at getting inside the top 10 in 2024 and staying there if he stays healthy. Tennessee doesn’t have elite wideout talent around Iamaleava like Washington had this season, but the return of Bru McCoy gives the Vols a true chain-mover on third down and a leader in the room.” Brad Crawford on Tennessee’s 2024 outlook
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