ESPN: Two players from the Tennessee Volunteers football program are named preseason All-Americans.

Two players from the Tennessee Volunteers football program are named preseason All-Americans.

Two players from the Tennessee Volunteers football program are named preseason All-Americans.

This football season, the Tennessee Volunteers will feature a number of players that make headlines on both sides of the ball. In fact, two Volunteers are on the Walter Camp Football All-American team for both the offensive and defensive units. This is a testament to how good their program is.

James Pearce Jr., an edge rusher, and center Cooper Mays make up the first team All-American roster. Nico Iamaleava, who is starting quarterback for Tennessee for the first time as a full-time starter, will benefit from having some of the best players in the country at his disposal for the Volunteers.

Latest NFL mock draft for the first round was recently revealed by ESPN’s Matt Miller. Pearce Jr. was selected by Miller with the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round and stayed at home. Miller wrote the following regarding the pick:

“As a second-year starter, quarterback Will Levis has a season to prove himself, but his early results were strong enough that we can put quarterbacks at the top of the draft for the time being. Alternatively, the Titans may select an in-state prospect, who happens to be my preseason #1 overall pick. Pearce, who is 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, has exceptional quickness around the edge; in the previous season, he picked up 9.5 sacks. Last season, he also demonstrated his versatility with a 52-yard pick-six. Pearce would be Harold Landry III’s first opponent.”

Under head coach Josh Heupel, the Tennessee Volunteers want to build on their success from the previous campaign, and that begins with players like May and Pearce Jr. living up to the preseason hype. Tennessee will be well-positioned to contend for a postseason spot this year if they accomplish that.