Where Tennessee football was ranked by Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer on the coaches’ poll ballot

Where Tennessee Football Was Ranked by Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer on the Coaches’ Poll Ballot

The college football landscape is shaped by rankings that fuel debates, highlight the most dominant programs, and serve as a barometer for the success of coaches, players, and entire athletic departments. Among the most prestigious of these rankings is the Coaches’ Poll, which reflects the opinions of the nation’s top college football coaches. Each year, the Coaches’ Poll serves as a way to see where programs stand in relation to one another, with teams constantly jockeying for positions at the top. In 2024, Tennessee Football became a major focal point in these rankings, especially as two prominent coaches—Ryan Day of Ohio State and Kalen DeBoer of Washington—cast their votes.

Both Day and DeBoer are established names in college football, each having led their respective programs to significant success. Their decisions in the Coaches’ Poll held substantial weight in shaping Tennessee’s ranking throughout the season. As the Volunteers looked to make a run toward national relevance, where exactly did these two respected coaches place Tennessee on their ballots? Let’s explore how the opinions of Day and DeBoer reflected Tennessee’s performance and status in 2024.

Ryan Day’s Perspective: An Overview

Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, has been a fixture at the top of the college football landscape for years. After taking over for Urban Meyer in 2019, Day quickly established himself as one of the brightest minds in the sport. Under his leadership, Ohio State has consistently been one of the top-ranked teams in the country, with a potent offense, solid defense, and a history of making playoff appearances. Day’s program, which competes in the Big Ten, has often been compared to SEC teams in terms of talent, coaching, and resources. This context makes Day’s ranking decisions particularly significant, especially when it comes to teams from the SEC like Tennessee.

In 2024, Ryan Day’s Ohio State squad continued to be a powerhouse, but it was the emergence of teams like Michigan, Penn State, and, to a lesser extent, Tennessee, that presented new challenges. Day’s voting tendencies in the Coaches’ Poll reflected a thoughtful approach, balancing his knowledge of teams in the Big Ten with an understanding of the broader landscape of college football.

For Tennessee, Day’s vote was a critical one in determining the Vols’ position in the rankings. After a successful 2023 season, Tennessee was widely seen as a contender, thanks to its explosive offense and improving defense under Josh Heupel. However, in the ultra-competitive SEC, the Vols still faced challenges from perennial powerhouses like Georgia, Alabama, and LSU. Where did Day see Tennessee fitting in, relative to these traditional SEC powers and Big Ten competitors?

In his Coaches’ Poll ballot, Ryan Day ranked Tennessee No. 6 in the country. This position reflected a blend of respect for the Vols’ growth and performance but acknowledged that the top spots in college football were still primarily held by programs with established dynasties, such as Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State itself. Day had always shown a level of deference to teams like Georgia, which had dominated the SEC in recent seasons. By placing Tennessee at No. 6, Day indicated that he saw them as a serious contender, but not yet at the level of the true elite teams in the nation.

Day’s ranking suggested that he viewed Tennessee as a team that had the talent and coaching to make a strong run, but one that was still in the process of establishing consistency and depth on both sides of the ball. Day also likely took into account the overall strength of Tennessee’s schedule. The SEC is notorious for its grueling conference slate, and teams in the conference are often subject to losses due to the sheer level of competition. Despite this, Day’s ranking reflected an optimistic outlook on the Vols’ chances to contend for a playoff spot.

Kalen DeBoer’s Perspective: An Overview

Kalen DeBoer, head coach of the Washington Huskies, was a rising star in college football as of 2024. After a successful stint at Fresno State, DeBoer moved to Washington and quickly turned the Huskies into one of the most dangerous teams in the Pac-12. His offensive-minded coaching style and ability to develop quarterbacks have made Washington a consistent contender in the Pac-12, competing with schools like Oregon and USC for supremacy in the conference. With his experience, DeBoer’s perspective on college football’s landscape was invaluable in shaping the Coaches’ Poll rankings.

When it came to his ranking of Tennessee, DeBoer’s perspective was influenced by his understanding of how teams in the Pac-12 and SEC measured up against one another. DeBoer knew that while Washington was playing in a competitive conference, the SEC was on another level, with the physicality and talent that only a few conferences could match. As a result, his ranking of Tennessee was reflective of both respect for the Vols’ potential and his own team’s standing in relation to SEC powerhouses.

On DeBoer’s Coaches’ Poll ballot, Tennessee was placed No. 4—a slight bump compared to Ryan Day’s assessment. DeBoer’s ranking demonstrated a higher level of confidence in Tennessee’s ability to challenge the elite teams in college football. DeBoer had likely watched Tennessee’s offensive system under Josh Heupel closely, recognizing how it had evolved over time into a potent force capable of overpowering defenses. He was also aware of the challenges faced by SEC teams, which typically went through grueling schedules and intense conference competition. DeBoer’s ranking suggested that he saw Tennessee as a program capable of competing with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Alabama.

DeBoer’s No. 4 ranking of Tennessee could also be attributed to his admiration for the program’s rapid rise under Heupel. Since taking over as head coach, Heupel had transformed Tennessee into a dynamic and high-powered offensive team. DeBoer’s own success with Washington’s offense likely led him to appreciate the intricacies of Heupel’s system, which put a premium on speed, skill, and offensive ingenuity. DeBoer likely saw Tennessee as a top-tier team capable of keeping pace with the best teams in the nation and possibly even making a deep playoff run.

Analyzing the Differences in Their Rankings

The contrast between Day and DeBoer’s rankings of Tennessee speaks volumes about the nuances of how coaches evaluate teams in the national picture. Ryan Day, with his experience leading a team that regularly competes for national championships, viewed Tennessee’s ranking through a lens of cautious optimism. He appreciated the Vols’ potential but also understood that the SEC’s competition was unlike any other conference. Tennessee was certainly on the rise, but it still had some proving to do in order to earn a spot alongside the likes of Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State at the very top.

Kalen DeBoer, on the other hand, seemed to have a bit more faith in Tennessee’s current form. His No. 4 ranking indicated that he saw the Vols as a team that had already arrived on the national stage, with a potent offense and a defense that had improved enough to make them legitimate contenders. DeBoer’s own offensive philosophy likely made him a bit more inclined to rank Tennessee higher, given how well the Vols’ system meshed with modern college football’s emphasis on explosive plays and high-scoring games.

Tennessee’s Position Relative to Other Teams

Despite the differences in Day and DeBoer’s rankings, both coaches agreed that Tennessee was a legitimate top-10 team in 2024. Both rankings placed Tennessee firmly in the conversation as one of the nation’s elite programs, capable of making a run at the College Football Playoff. Both coaches also recognized that Tennessee was building something special under Heupel, a system that had the potential to disrupt the balance of power in college football.

Ultimately, Tennessee’s ranking in the Coaches’ Poll by these two esteemed coaches was a reflection of the Vols’ status as a rising power in the SEC and across the country. Both Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer saw Tennessee as a legitimate force, but with slight differences in how they perceived the Vols’ readiness to challenge for national championships. Day’s No. 6 ranking was a nod to Tennessee’s impressive potential but also acknowledged the depth and competition in the SEC. DeBoer’s No. 4 ranking showed a bit more confidence in Tennessee’s readiness to compete with the best, particularly with their high-flying offense.