Josh Pate seems to be weirdly optimistic about this one program that recently lost its star QB to the Bruins. The loss of Nico Iamaleava hasn’t been a walk in the park at Knoxville. The head coach didn’t sit with a sulky face; he did what needed to be done and gave credit to the competition in his 2025 quarterback room by making it quite clear that life moves quickly in Knoxville and no one’s job is ever secure. So, as the Vols approach this season, there’s an air of wary optimism, especially among the analysts.
Last season was huge; they made their first-ever College Football Playoff under Josh Heupel, who’s become one of the most successful head coaches of the modern era in a very short time. He accumulated almost 75% wins and sent Tennessee back into the national spotlight. The defense has finally caught up, and there’s that gritty, “let’s find those extra inches” vibe in the building. But what about those Playoff hopes? This season, with a better-balanced SEC and lofty expectations, Tennessee’s Playoff hopes appear to be an uphill battle, but not an unlikely one. There’s no promise, particularly following the roster shake-up.
And keeping it all in perspective is Josh Pate with Cole Cubelic, and he’s not having any of the gloom-and-doom. The discussion is free, the takes are warm, and the air is heavy with preseason rumors. But it’s when Tennessee comes into discussion that Pate brings a viewpoint that will catch some Vols fans off guard. “You’re supposed to feel really good coming out of a playoff year, and I did about Tennessee,” Pate said on his show.
“Having said that, if you were around them last year and you talked about anything other than the 2024 season, they already knew last year our offensive line situation could be a little precarious next year. They knew that before they ever knew the Nico drama was going to pop up.” You’d imagine that after finally reaching the playoffs, Tennessee fans would be walking on air, but let’s be real.
The Vols lost the ultimate anchors in Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins, dudes with a mountain of career starts between them. And then, going into 2025, Tennessee had to reload with four new starters on the front line. Regardless of how talented your linemen are, it’s not easy to plug-and-play in the SEC. And patching holes just isn’t as simple with O-linemen as with skill positions. Lance Heard’s injury woes a year ago made that brutally apparent. Heupel’s team did get better, but the Vols simply hadn’t accumulated enough homegrown signees who’d turned into day-one studs. And the Nico drama? Heupel, weathering a wave of doubt, didn’t let the moment destroy his locker room. Just before Tennessee’s spring game, he summoned the team and informed them straight out that the Vols were going on without Nico. It hurt, no doubt.
Pate continues, “There’s this headspace I’m in right now where if they’re an eight-and-four team this year, all four losses are competitive. They don’t go to the playoffs, but in the aggregate, they developed a lot. [Then] they got a ton of returning production for next year. [And] they got the number one quarterback in the country coming in. And you planted the flag for your program harder than any head coach has in terms of taking a stand on the Nico front.”
First and foremost, development is the word. This roster didn’t just tread water; Players like Jake Merklinger, a four-star who got thrust into the fire, came in and showed starter-in-the-making qualities. Coaches up and down the two-deep have battle-tested guys ready to go into 2026.
With a three-quarterback competition, Joey Aguilar has college experience, Merklinger has potential, and George MacIntyre is the gem. The future is as solid as Knoxville has felt since Hendon Hooker. Here’s where Josh Pate’s opinion shines with realistic sense. Previous to this, if you told a Volunteer fan that they’d go 8-4 and not make the playoffs, they’d likely eye-roll. But Pate turns the script around. He flat-out states he’d still claim the Vols as champs in 2025 at 8-4, even if the Playoff aspiration fails.
How Josh Heupel keeps Tennessee’s QB door wide open
If you believed Joey Aguilar was strolling into Knoxville with the job already in his pocket, think again. Josh Heupel is not one to give out starting positions like candy on Halloween, regardless of how much portal chatter or shiny Appalachian State stat sheets there are. Aguilar’s resume is loaded: 6,760 yards passing, 56 touchdowns, a bowl MVP award, and a personal “step up in the big moment” attitude. He’s been labeled “more advanced” than Hendon Hooker in some quarters, and that would be enough to make most dudes the next QB1. Just… not on Heupel’s watch.
At SEC Media Days, Heupel made it crystal clear, “I think it’s important, we talk about it at the beginning of every year, you earn everything in this game… That’s certainly true at the quarterback position.” Aguilar’s chief competitors? Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, who’s been working with the twos and developing chemistry since winter. And true freshman phenom George MacIntyre. Heupel notices the off-field grind as well. Joey’s been working hard, taking the O-line out to eat, working extra with new receivers, and doing all the intangible leadership stuff that winning locker rooms thrive on.
But the head coach would like to see reps, poise with SEC bullets whizzing by, and a player who can own not only the playbook, but also the highs and lows that come with running a Tennessee offense in front of 100,000 frenzied Vol faithful. And don’t get it twisted, Tennessee’s ground game might prove Aguilar’s most reliable lifeline as he gets used to a new scheme and pressure cooker expectations.
The post Josh Pate Refuses to Panic About One SEC Team Despite Their O-Line Woes appeared first on EssentiallySports.