David Pollack Thinks College Football Powerhouse Will Have a Tough 2025 Season
The 2024 college football season marked the inaugural year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, which had been a four-team tournament since its inception in 2014.
This change allowed several teams to make their first appearance in the postseason tournament, including the Tennessee Volunteers, who finished the previous season with a record of 10-3. The Volunteers now hope to compete again in 2025.
However, they will face challenges, including the departure of their young star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, who unexpectedly entered the transfer portal in the spring and returned to his home state to join the UCLA Bruins. During his first season as the starting quarterback, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
In addition to losing Iamaleava, Tennessee is only returning 49% of its offensive production, which ranks 87th in the country. Due to these losses, analyst David Pollack mentioned on his podcast, “See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack,” that he expects the Volunteers to have a challenging season in 2025.
“I don’t think Tennessee’s roster as constructed is going to get back to the playoffs,” Pollack said. “I don’t. Like, last year that defense was freaking good man. Like, so good. I don’t think they’ll be at that level because they’re losing some depth and key pieces. Offensively, they are losing their best player at running back.”
Pollack was referring to Dylan Sampson, who rushed for 1,491 yards and scored 22 touchdowns last season. Sampson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Last year, the Volunteers finished ranked sixth in total defense, 29th in pass defense, and 10th in rush defense. They return 67% of their defensive players, which ranks 22nd in the country. However, they lost a key player in James Pearce Jr., who led the team in sacks and tackles for loss; he was chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Jermod McCoy was their standout defensive back, recording 44 tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass deflections. While he is expected to return, he tore his ACL during the offseason, leaving his availability for the start of the season
Tennessee will open the season against the Syracuse Orange on August 30.
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