As has been an annual tradition for years, Rocky Top Talk's Terry Lambert joins us again (mostly quietly) to talk a little about the Tennessee Volunteers from a fan's perspective. Hopefully this is the only time you'll have to interact with a Vols fan this year – he's one of the best.

While you're at it, check out my answers on their website.

1) Josh Heupel is now in fourth grade (how time flies!), what do you think of him now? I know he was the best coach of all time after 2022, but sometimes the taste of success makes for anything but disappointing. 2023 was a somewhat mediocre year for the Vols, and after a hot start this season, the last three games were a struggle (in fact, it mirrored Alabama's season, without a big win over an overrated* UGA squad). . Feeling a little dissatisfied?

*Yes, I said it. UGA isn’t this year.

Admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of recruiting in 2021 simply because of the regression we've seen at UCF. But it worked, largely because of his hyper-speed spread offense. People forget how far down Tennessee was here after Heupel was installed just weeks after the Jeremy Pruitt-McDonald's Bag of Money fiasco. When evaluating Heupel, it is important to keep this context in mind.

Going forward, it remains to be seen whether he can achieve a major victory. We have big questions about his ability on the road, which we saw emerge again against Arkansas. His time management can also be crazy at times. Overall, though, when you look at the bigger picture, it's hard to say that Tennessee is on the right track. They have got their NIL collective rolling, which will achieve another top ten division. He has acquired five-star quarterbacks in three of the last four cycles.

Heupel returned Tennessee to a perennial program with nine wins per year, which was the first step. However, now the expectation is to get to the next level, and the Tennessee fan base isn't exactly a patient bunch. It kind of feels like he needs to beat Alabama or Georgia now to make this season a success. If he does that, Tennessee will be right back in the middle of the CFP picture.

2) Nico Iamaleava. Some, not me, have said he is the next Trevor Lawrence. Others, who may actually be me, have said that Trevor Lawrence and Iamaleava both walk like a giraffe, but that is the extent of the similarities. What do you think about him? Can he eventually get the Tennessee offense back to Hendon Hooker's level, or are there some limitations?

It's an interesting case. He came out of the fight with full force, even if he was fighting against inferior opponents. Now some freshmen moments are emerging. Personally, I don't really feel like he was as bad as the narrative suggests. We're still talking about a 19-year-old making his first appearances in the SEC. Did we really expect him to come in and take complete control of the offense like Hendon Hooker did in 2022? That was always unrealistic, but after his hot start I'm frustrated.

A big part of that equation was the offensive line. The tackling in particular was absolutely bad. Almost every time Nico gets upset, they get hit with a hold call. Five-star LSU transfer Lance Heard was atrocious in pass protection, resulting in multiple blindside hits. He is under constant pressure and is probably seeing some ghosts at this point.

Long story short, he's a guy who has all the tools at his disposal and is still trying to master the offense. But its protection needs to be repaired before we get a real look at its benefits.

3) Is Dylan Sampson the best running back in the SEC? I'm not sure who I would even put against him.

Yes, like you said, it's not even close. His development has been really impressive and he has developed into an all-rounder. He was originally considered a home run hitter, but today his vision and toughness between the tackles set him apart. Tennessee is really leaning on him without having much depth behind him.

Like Nico, he struggled with some issues on the offensive line. Tennessee's rushing attack is the key to everything, and far too often the offense has failed to get momentum. Sampson has saved her several times, but there's not much he can do.

4) How is Miles Kitselman? He was an interesting JUCO guy who would never really get any playing time with us, but I liked the way he ran routes in the JUCO days.

This guy seemingly came out of nowhere, but he's essentially TE1 for Tennessee now. They're going to put three guys there, but he's been outpacing everyone in the last few weeks. He somehow came out of the portal late after Holden Staes was picked up by Notre Dame and attracted a lot of attention. But he's actually been the biggest tight end threat in the passing game since the second game of the season.

Tennessee doesn't throw a lot of tight ends, but when it does, Kitselman is the man to do it.

5) Statistically, Tennessee arguably has the best defense in the country. Where did that come from?? Is there a chance you see one or two vulnerabilities that aren't yet showing up in the stats?

Continuity in the coaching staff, to be honest. Tennessee is in its fourth year with this team and all they needed to replace is a linebackers coach. The core of this group was there from the beginning and the employees were able to build it from the ground up.

Legendary DL coach Rodney Garner is the secret. Their defensive line has become the best group in the SEC, which is pretty crazy given where Tennessee was a few years ago. There are around 12 players rotating on defense, which keeps them fresh in the fourth quarter. They want to weaken the offense and so far they have succeeded very well. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks' aggressiveness is also a big piece of this puzzle – he'll come after you for four quarters.

Tennessee hasn't given up more than 17 points all year. A Josh Heupel defense-led team wasn't on my bingo card, but here we are.

As for a weakness, senior linebacker Keenan Pili was out for the season last week with a torn ACL. This shifts responsibility to two sophomores: Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander. Apparently they'll be sharing the communications helmet this weekend, so we could see some growing pains there.

6) Are there any freshmen on the field that you think will be All-Americans in a year and a half?

Tennessee famously didn't play true freshmen under Heupel, but Chattanooga native Boo Carter has found the field. He quickly finds a home at the nickel spot and has made several appearances so far. Most felt he was difficult to keep off the field after a strong spring, and he has certainly delivered so far.

Five-star receiver Mike Matthews has also flashed but hasn't really found playing time yet. However, he's a guy who could make a big jump quickly. I expect him to drive a few times on Saturday.

7) Okay, what is the current injury situation? I've seen some things that say your entire WR core is injured and others that say almost everyone is playing. Are there any important characters who are not in this game?

It was pretty strange after the Arkansas game. Bru McCoy wore a cast and Squirrel White wore a sling. Those in the know painted a pretty bleak picture, but last week both were listed as likely and both ended up playing. I expect the receivers to be at full strength this weekend, even if Squirrel appears to be paying for it in pain.

We have already touched on the pili injury. Tennessee also lost starter Jourdan Thomas in camp this season. Other than that, Tennessee is currently as healthy as anyone could hope for.

8) What is a successful season for Tennessee this year? Just get to the playoffs? Win a playoff game?

Yes, so that has probably changed in the last few weeks. Tennessee looked poised to rock the world at halftime with a 19-3 win over Oklahoma. Since then they have been completely miserable. Can they recover? We'll find out on Saturday.

For me, success would mean making it to the playoffs. Doing it with a redshirt freshman quarterback would certainly raise expectations for 2025. I'm not sure you can ask or expect much more at this point.

9) Who do you think will actually win the SEC?

I mean, can you go with anyone other than Texas? I agree that Georgia is out this season. What exactly is Alabama? I think the Tide will probably figure it out, but are they better than Texas? Ole Miss is already dead, LSU? Perhaps? Texas A&M vs. LSU in a few weeks will tell us a lot.

Ultimately, I just don't think anyone can compete with Texas.

10) and of course, what is your match prediction?

Personally, I can't get the last two weeks out of my head and know, “Bama played just as bad.” The difference is that Tennessee got off to painfully slow starts, failing to score a single point in back-to-back first halves. The defense was on its head and honestly had some luck staying in those games.

As good as this defense is, “Bama will get theirs.” Can the Tennessee offense start early? That's the key for me. I don't think they do.

Alabama 27, Tennessee 20