# 2024 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2024 [Tennessee Volunteers football](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-volunteers-football) team represented the [University of Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tennessee) in the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Under fourth-year head coach [Josh Heupel](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-heupel), the Volunteers went 10-3 (6-2 in SEC play, tied for second with Georgia), earned the program's first College Football Playoff berth, and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Amway Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 10-3 overall, 6-2 SEC, tied for second in the final regular-season standings with Georgia[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) |
| Head coach | Josh Heupel, in his fourth season[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) |
| Postseason | First College Football Playoff berth in program history; lost the first-round game 42-17 at eventual national champion Ohio State[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) • [2](https://www.sport-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2024.html) |
| Final rankings | No. 8 Amway Coaches Poll, No. 9 AP Top 25[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) |
| Rushing offense | Led the SEC at 225.8 yards per game for the second straight year; 2,936 team rushing yards, second-highest single-season total in program history[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) • [3](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/10/6/G6_UT_Notes_Arkansas.pdf) |
| Defense | 16.1 points per game allowed, the program's fewest since the 1998 national championship team's 14.5[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) |
| Honors | Dylan Sampson, SEC Offensive Player of the Year; Cooper Mays, Rimington Trophy finalist and first-team All-American; Jermod McCoy, second-team All-American[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) |
## Season summary
The season opened at home on August 31 against Chattanooga, a game Tennessee won 69-3 while rolling up 718 yards of total offense in its "Volunteer State" Smokey Grey jerseys.[4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/8/5/2024_Review_Section__WEB_.pdf) • [5](https://utsports.com/news/2024/7/29/football-reports-for-preseason-camp-watch-media-day-live-tuesday)
**Rivalry wins.** Heupel's teams continued their recent success against Tennessee's traditional rivals. The Volunteers outlasted Florida 23-17 in overtime and came from behind to beat Alabama 24-17 on The Third Saturday in October.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
**Playoff exit.** Tennessee's season ended in the CFP first round at Ohio State, the eventual national champion, by a score of 42-17.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) • [2](https://www.sport-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2024.html) Even with the loss, the season secured Tennessee's winningest three-year stretch since 1998-2000, a span of 30 wins.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
## Offense
**Dylan Sampson** became the first-year starter who carried the offense. He was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year after breaking five single-season rushing records, and he became the third different Vol of the Heupel era to earn SEC Player of the Year honors on offense, defense, or special teams.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) Behind him, the team led the SEC in rushing for the second consecutive year at 225.8 yards per game, and its 2,936 rushing yards rank second among all single-season totals in program history, behind only a Heupel-era mark.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) • [3](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/10/6/G6_UT_Notes_Arkansas.pdf)
The offensive line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation's top offensive line unit, for the third consecutive season.[6](https://soonersports.com/documents/download/2025/10/27/G9_UT_Notes_Oklahoma.pdf) Center Cooper Mays, a finalist for the Rimington Trophy awarded to the nation's top center, earned first-team [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) recognition from Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, and [USA Today](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-today), becoming the 79th player in school history to receive first-team All-America honors.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) • [4](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/8/5/2024_Review_Section__WEB_.pdf)
The quarterback position turned over before the season. Nico Iamaleava, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and the first quarterback Heupel signed out of high school, took over as the starter after backing up [Joe Milton](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-milton) in 2023; he had closed the previous season with a 35-0 [Citrus Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/citrus-bowl) rout of Iowa in which he ran for three touchdowns and threw for another.[7](https://apnews.com/article/1b098b5fbac9608d00a2b767ab378f37)
## Defense
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach, after overseeing a unit that finished in the FBS top 10 in nine different categories.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) The defense allowed 16.1 points per game, the program's best figure since the 1998 national championship team gave up 14.5.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
Cornerback [Jermod McCoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermod-mccoy), in his first season at Tennessee, was named a second-team All-American alongside Sampson. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr., a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, was drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons).[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
## Attendance and support
[Neyland Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/neyland-stadium) sold out every home game, extending the program's sellout streak to 20 consecutive games entering the 2025 season. Tennessee exhausted its season-ticket inventory for the second straight year in the fall of 2024, and did so again for a third consecutive campaign the following year.[1](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review) The athletic department also announced a 10% "talent fee" on 2025 football season-ticket renewals, in addition to a 4.5% price increase, to help fund athlete revenue sharing as the college sports model changed.[8](https://apnews.com/article/a0cb27d19f081f449dc6c8c0fd960eb4)
## Aftermath
The playoff berth and top-10 finish marked the second time in three years Tennessee ended a season ranked in the top 10 of the polls under Heupel.[9](https://utsports.com/sports/2017/6/14/history-m-footbl-index-html) The following season the Volunteers fell to 8-5.[10](https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-preview-tennessee-volunteers)
## References
1. [2024-25 Tennessee Athletics Year in Review, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2025/7/9/general-2024-25-tennessee-athletics-year-in-review)
2. [2024 Tennessee Volunteers Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sport-reference.com/cfb/schools/tennessee/2024.html)
3. [Tennessee Football game notes, Arkansas (2025), University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/10/6/G6_UT_Notes_Arkansas.pdf)
4. [2024 Season Review, Tennessee Football 2025 Record Book (PDF)](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2025/8/5/2024_Review_Section__WEB_.pdf)
5. [Football Reports for Preseason Camp, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2024/7/29/football-reports-for-preseason-camp-watch-media-day-live-tuesday)
6. [Tennessee Football game notes, Oklahoma (2025)](https://soonersports.com/documents/download/2025/10/27/G9_UT_Notes_Oklahoma.pdf)
7. [Tennessee Vols wrap up spring practice with Nico Iamaleava finally under center, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1b098b5fbac9608d00a2b767ab378f37)
8. [Tennessee football's 10% talent fee opens discussion, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a0cb27d19f081f449dc6c8c0fd960eb4)
9. [Football History, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/sports/2017/6/14/history-m-footbl-index-html)
10. [2026 College Football Preview: Tennessee Volunteers, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-preview-tennessee-volunteers)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license