Expectations for the 2025 Season and ESPN direspect.

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

You don't think it's disrespectful to drop a playoff team returning its QB to 19?

We're losing one good player on offense and one good player on defense, and the positions those players played (RB and DE) has been our deepest positions under Heupel.

We won't actually start next year at 19 in the AP or Coaches poll. Probably more in the 8-12 range.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Well if anyone knows anything about not inspiring confidence, I’m glad the expert chimed in .

Okay let me try to reframe in a way you can understand. If we were playing a team that struggles tremendously on the road next season, and one of their fans told you they thought they could win in Neyland next year because they won a couple road games back in 2022, what would your response be? Would it be, “Oh good point, I hadn’t thought of those two wins you had several years ago with a totally different roster,” or would it be, “WTF are you talking about? That was years and several horrible road losses ago.”

 

[YankeeVol]

NC or bust. It's year 5.

10000% on the hot seat if he doesn't make the playoffs again

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Well a lot of what you are saying is just objectively wrong. We are losing more than 2 good players total. Hell, we are losing two All Americans on offense alone.

Also returning a mediocre QB doesn’t mean that mediocre QB will ever be better than mediocre. Frankly DJ U showed more as a true freshman than Nico did as a redshirt freshman. And DJ U just got worse from there. Improvement is neither automatic, nor guaranteed.

Is there anything you find promising into next year? Are we doomed for mediocrity, or even worse, failure? So you believe Nico has no chance of improving?

Let's see how it plays out before trying to cement negative discourse about the team. Your takes are never "discussion" as you claim. We're simply not good enough in your eyes. Sadly, it's a recurring theme for you

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Okay let me try to reframe in a way you can understand. If we were playing a team that struggles tremendously on the road next season, and one of their fans told you they thought they could win in Neyland next year because they won a couple road games back in 2022, what would your response be? Would it be, “Oh good point, I hadn’t thought of those two wins you had several years ago with a totally different roster,” or would it be, “WTF are you talking about? That was years and several horrible road losses ago.”

I believe I was discussing the overall road history of the staff and was just pointing out that not every time we’ve taken the field against a decent opponent on the road we had lost. I’m well aware of the wins and losses and who was on team and who wasn’t, but by all means, please continue w/ your condescending bull$hit that everyone on here enjoys so much .

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

I believe I was discussing the overall road history of the staff and was just pointing out that not every time we’ve taken the field against a decent opponent on the road we had lost. I’m well aware of the wins and losses and who was on team and who wasn’t, but by all means, please continue w/ your condescending bull$hit that everyone on here enjoys so much .

Overall the road history says we lose one we shouldn’t. Even in the year we beat Pitt and LSU, we had the all timer at South Carolina.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

That comment is a complete failure. Plenty of reasons we could only win 8 games. To make such an absolute statement is ridiculous.

Does you attitude change if Nico gets hurt in game #1? Would 8 wins then be a failure?

Let’s examine the 2025 schedule.

Syracuse- McCord is gone. Win
ETSU- regardless of who is QB, win
UGA- likely loss regardless of QB
UAB- win regardless of QB
MISS ST- win
Arkansas- home game. Sun.
Bama- on the road. Toss up.
UK- win
OU- home game win
NMSU- ein
UF- at the swamp, likely loss
Vandy- win

Where do you see 4 losses? Also you asked if Nico got hurt. Merklinger would be the one to step in. He has been in the system for over a year. If Merk is not able to step in and at least be a serviceable QB then that’s a problem. Our run game will be strong again. Also if Nico got hurt and we lost to Bama, UGA, UF and OU or MSST then maybe you could say that’s excusable. I don’t.

So no there aren’t a ton of excuses for losing 4 games. It’s year 5 and we have recruited pretty good. Now if we have many injuries to skill positions then that’s different. But that’s extreme examples. I don’t care if you don’t expect more from our program. I do. Heupel has done an excellent job at getting us back into the national spotlight.

 

[Golfprovol]

Let’s examine the 2025 schedule.

Syracuse- McCord is gone. Win
ETSU- regardless of who is QB, win
UGA- likely loss regardless of QB
UAB- win regardless of QB
MISS ST- win
Arkansas- home game. Sun.
Bama- on the road. Toss up.
UK- win
OU- home game win
NMSU- ein
UF- at the swamp, likely loss
Vandy- win

Where do you see 4 losses? Also you asked if Nico got hurt. Merklinger would be the one to step in. He has been in the system for over a year. If Merk is not able to step in and at least be a serviceable QB then that’s a problem. Our run game will be strong again. Also if Nico got hurt and we lost to Bama, UGA, UF and OU or MSST then maybe you could say that’s excusable. I don’t.

So no there aren’t a ton of excuses for losing 4 games. It’s year 5 and we have recruited pretty good. Now if we have many injuries to skill positions then that’s different. But that’s extreme examples. I don’t care if you don’t expect more from our program. I do. Heupel has done an excellent job at getting us back into the national spotlight.

If Nico got hurt and we are back to a simplified offense without Sampson....Oklahoma, Bama, Arkansas all become difficult wins. With Pavia back at Vandy, that could be tough...

All of that is based on if Nico got hurt. Merk would step in but just as last year this would be his first real reps. What if we lose 3 OL in fall camp?

I do expect more from our program but you said 8 wins would be a failure on the coaching staff. I was simply stating that comment is a failure because things can happen that cause seasons to collapse. Let the season play out before you determine if 8 wins is a failure or not.