Four-star OL recruit Daniel Calhoun jilts Tennessee football: What is the next move for the Volunteers?

The Tennessee Volunteers sent an offer to offensive lineman recruit Daniel Calhoun but he decided to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs. This means that the Volunteers may have to figure things out with Josh Heupel as the next step for the program's future.

Let's take a closer look into the Volunteers program as a whole and try to figure out the next step for the team.

What is next for the Tennessee Volunteers?

The Tennessee Volunteers are one of the best programs in the Southeastern Conference. They finished the 2022 season second in the SEC Eastern Division with an 11-2 (6-2) record. This shows that the program has been doing extremely well in college football's toughest conference.

The program has a lot of upperclassmen on the roster, including their starting quarterback redshirt senior Joe Milton III. The recruiting process for Tennessee is going to be critical, especially with the additions of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the conference, beginning in 2024.

They do not have many freshmen on their 2023 depth chart as a whole, but they do have their next quarterback freshman, Nico Iamaleava, as the backup going into the season. The Volunteers are a solid program and it will be interesting to see their recruiting class next month in the NCAA Transfer Portal, as well as for the next class.

What should we expect out of the Tennessee Volunteers this season?

We discussed how the Volunteers played a year ago, but what are they going to look like this season? Both the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs have taken a step back talent-wise, with a lot of their core players getting selected in the NFL draft.

With both Stetson Bennett, who played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and Bryce Young, who played for the Alabama Crimson Tide, now out of college football, the Tennessee Volunteers are going to have as great of a chance as ever to win the SEC Championship.

While some of the bigger programs in college football are in the midst of a reset, the Volunteers have a chance to really strike this season. Starting in 2024, it feels like the SEC is going to be extremely competitive, with the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns arriving. This means that if the Volunteers are going to be in the fight once again, this is the time.

What do you think the Volunteers will do in 2024?