Tennessee has slowly climbed up ESPN’s 2024 college football rankings over the offseason and will make another jump to the final list before the season begins.

The Vols were ranked 16th by Mark Schlabach in ESPN’s pre-spring football rankings, but rose to 15th in the updated post-spring list.

In ESPN’s Preseason Power Rankings on Monday, the Vols moved up one spot to 14th place in the rankings.

While Tennessee’s defensive line is the team’s best unit, all eyes will be on the Vols’ offense, whose sports car Josh Heupel’s offense is piloted by quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The Vols strengthened ahead of the spring with the addition of Tulane-transfer Chris Brazzell as a new receiver and boast some exciting new running backs to complement Dylan Sampson’s work.

“Tennessee’s 27 wins in three seasons under Josh Heupel are the program’s best three-year run since Phil Fulmer won 28 games from 2002-04,” Eli Lederman wrote for ESPN. “Still, pressure is on the Volunteers, who enter 2024 with College Football Playoff expectations. Nico Iamaleava takes over as center and is expected to revitalize an offense that fell from its historic 2022 levels last fall, while Dylan Sampson (5.7 yards per carry in 2023) returns to the backfield.”

James Pearce Jr. was recently voted the best player in college football by ESPN and is preparing to destroy opposing lines this season heading into the NFL Draft. The Vols’ entire defensive line is strong and is made up of experienced veterans and talented backups. Tennessee may have question marks in the secondary this season, but a strong pass rush from an impressive defensive line should help from time to time.

“There should be stability on the offensive line as LSU transfer Lance Heard settles in alongside three returning starters, but Tennessee’s strength lies in a defensive line that led the SEC in tackles for loss in 2023, a group that should be bolstered again this fall by potential first-round draft pick James Pearce Jr.,” Lederman continued. “A Week 2 neutral site meeting with NC State will be a litmus test for the Volunteers. Can Tennessee navigate a relatively favorable SEC schedule en route to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance?”

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The Vols are ESPN’s seventh-highest-ranked SEC team on the list behind No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Alabama, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 11 Missouri and No. 13 LSU.

Oklahoma ranks 17th, followed by Texas A&M at 22nd, completing the nine ranked SEC programs.

Tennessee will enter the season as the No. 15 team in the country, according to the AP poll. The Vols have four opponents ranked in the AP Top 25: NC State is ranked No. 24, Oklahoma is ranked No. 16, Alabama is ranked No. 5 and Georgia is ranked No. 1.

ESPN’s full preseason power rankings can be found here.