Paul Finebaum isn’t just buying Tennessee anymore. After watching the Volunteers hold Alabama to 10 points in Knoxville, the ESPN analyst believes the SEC has a real contender on its hands - and he pointed straight to first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as the reason.
Asked Sunday morning on his self-titled show by SEC Nation host Matt Barrie whether Tennessee is a legitimate SEC threat, Finebaum answered with a line that didn’t leave much room for debate: “Legit on Rocky Top.”
He went on to say he had misread the Vols by focusing too heavily on one side of the ball. “I did not really buy into it because I paid too much attention to the offense, but the best acquisition in the offseason was Jim Knowles,” he said. “I mean, he has transformed that place overnight.”
Finebaum also owned up to picking Alabama and said he, along with many others, got the road game wrong after the Crimson Tide’s loss to Georgia. “the biggest mistake we all made,” he said. “I was at the front of the line,” he said.
The numbers from Saturday tell the story. Tennessee rolled to a 26-10 win while holding Alabama to 201 total yards, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Crimson Tide to 2-of-13 on third down. The 10 points were Alabama’s fewest in the series since 2005, and the victory celebration in Knoxville left Tennessee in line for a $500,000 SEC fine.
Josh Heupel’s move to overhaul the defense paid off fast. He fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks after Tennessee finished 92nd nationally in scoring defense in 2025, then hired Knowles away from Penn State. Heupel said bringing him in was “our top priority from the start of this process.”
Knowles also brought familiar faces with him from Penn State, including defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and linebacker Amare Campbell. Campbell led Tennessee with eight tackles against Alabama.
The Vols came into the game leading the country with 25 sacks and added five more. Their only loss so far was a 20-17 defeat to Texas on Sept. 26, a night when the defense sacked Arch Manning six times.
Tennessee got steady production on offense, too. Sophomore quarterback George MacIntyre threw for 197 yards in his second career start, and senior running back DeSean Bishop powered the ground game with 159 yards and two touchdowns.
The win pushed Tennessee up three spots to No. 11 in the AP Top 25, putting the Vols two places ahead of Alabama. Finebaum said the loss could have bigger consequences for Kalen DeBoer’s team, warning that the Alabama coach is now “one loss away from not going to the playoffs in ‘26.”
Barrie came away convinced Tennessee is built for a longer run. “You have to start looking at the Volunteers now as someone who’s going to be hanging out at the top of the SEC for the rest of the season,” he said.
Tennessee heads to South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, then returns home to face No.
12 Kentucky on Nov. 7.
After that, the Vols travel to Texas A&M on Nov. 14, host LSU on Nov. 21 and wrap up the regular season at Vanderbilt on Nov. 28.
The Vols are 3-1 in SEC play, and their lone conference loss came against a Texas team that has since dropped two straight.
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