On3’s Steve Wiltfong made a huge prediction for the Tennessee Vols on Tuesday afternoon.
Wiltfong placed a prediction for the Vols to land 2025 four-star wide receiver Travis Smith Jr, a talented recruit who is scheduled to announce his commitment on July 13.
Smith, 6-foot-4/191 lbs from Atlanta, GA, is rated by On3 as the No. 10 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 59 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
Alabama and Georgia are also in the mix for Smith ahead of his decision this upcoming weekend.
One reason why the Vols have surged for Smith in recent weeks — aside from the fact that he’s a perfect fit in Josh Heupel’s offense — is the presence of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Smith told On3 that Iamaleava is a “real factor” in his decision.
“Nico Iamaleava is the Tennessee factor,” said Smith this week. “They put Nico with me on my official visit and he is a real factor for me. He is a great player, then they have others like George MacIntyre coming in behind him. They got the last official visit and I got a great understanding about where the program stands and where they are headed as a program.”
Tennessee currently has 16 players committed to its 2025 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 15 in the nation. Landing Smith would certainly boost that ranking a bit.
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Tennessee’s biggest stars won’t be at SEC Media Days
SEC Media Days are the unofficial kickoff to the college football season.
Unfortunately, Tennessee Volunteers fans won’t be hearing from two of the team’s biggest stars.
The SEC announced the attendees for each team, with three players representing each program. For the Volunteers, they’ll be represented by three seniors in center Cooper Mays, linebacker Keenan Pili, and defensive lineman Omari Thomas.
Those attendees are notably missing the team’s two best players in quarterback Nico Iamaleava and pass rusher James Pearce Jr..
Iamaleava, a five-star quarterback, was ranked second in the nation in the 2023 recruiting class. He could emerge as the SEC’s breakthrough quarterback this season and is expected to start for the Volunteers.
But in 2024, as a redshirt freshman, he won’t be heavily relied upon for media appearances. For media appearances and interviews, football programs often defer to seniors and upperclassmen, and Iamaleava still has some time before he needs to be in that kind of spotlight.
Pearce’s sudden absence is more significant. For someone who might be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, this could be his only opportunity to attend SEC Media Days. But according to Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel, Peace is still growing accustomed to her surroundings.
“Pearce is soft spoken and still getting comfortable in media settings,” Sparks explained. He had straightforward and concise answers in the press conference after his dominant performance in the Citrus Bowl…Pearce needs experience facing the media before the 2025 NFL Draft, where he’s been projected as a top-10 pick. But that will come in more comfortable settings with local media before facing ballrooms like those at SEC Media Days.”
Volunteers fans might be disappointed that they won’t hear from either player during media availability. However, it won’t have an impact on either’s ability to perform on Saturdays this season.
