A lot of college football fans have been inspired by the Washington Huskies going into the 2024 season. Although Washington isn’t a top programme and hasn’t been spoken much in the country lately, they will play the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship later tonight.

Many are wondering, “Who could 2024 Washington be?” after their run. Brad Crawford of 247Sports asked the same question earlier this week and identified five rosters that may potentially replicate the success the Huskies have had this season. The Tennessee Volunteers, a team that has been steadily preparing for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, was one of his five contenders. The piece is available in its entirety here, but this is what Crawford had to say regarding Tennessee’s prospects for 2024.

Under Josh Heupel, the Volunteers assembled a strong squad and were ranked No. 16 in the country in the Team Talent Composite for the 2023 campaign. However, they haven’t performed at the high calibre required to handle a challenging SEC schedule. One main aspect that could change that in 2024 is the presence of former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. In the Citrous Bowl victory over Iowa, he scored four touchdowns in his first career start, and Hendon Hooker, the position’s breakout player from the previous campaign, had already labelled him “the chosen one” in Knoxville.Given Hooker’s significance to the programme and increased success during his stay, that is high praise indeed.

Iamaleava has the kind of talent that elevates everyone around him, just like Penix did at Washington. The first quarterback Heupel had, he is a dynamic option that gives Tennessee a better than average chance to finish in the top 10 in 2024, assuming he stays healthy. The return of Bru McCoy offers the Vols a true chain-mover on third down and a leader in the room, but Tennessee doesn’t have the same kind of wideout skill surrounding Iamaleava as Washington did this season.” Brad Crawford on the state of Tennessee in 2024.

The Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee lost a few offensive line contributors to the NCAA Transfer Portal, but he won’t be replacing as many starters as he had originally anticipated. Lance Heard, an offensive lineman for LSU Tigers, is a strong contender to join them as they search the web for another offensive tackle who might be able to get snaps.