Josh Heupel didn’t need much prompting to circle back to Arkansas when SEC Media Days put Tennessee in front of him Monday in Tampa, Fla.
The Vols are headed to Fayetteville on Oct. 10, and Heupel’s first instinct was to revisit what happened there last season. Arkansas knocked off a Tennessee team ranked No. 4 in the country on Oct. 5, 2024, when Malachi Singleton delivered the game-winning touchdown and Nico Iamaleava ran out of bounds on the final play.
“Disappointing result two years ago,” Heupel said. “Some things that we didn't handle with structural changes from them defensively at the beginning of that football game.
“Ultimately we're on the wrong side of it. Some key plays down the stretch that we didn't maximize, take advantage of.
That was a night game inside of this league. Great environment.
[Razorback Stadium] is a tough place to play."
That victory remains Arkansas’ last over a Power Four opponent at Razorback Stadium.
This year’s trip will also be only the second SEC home game for first-year Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield, and Heupel had plenty of praise for him. The two already know each other well from Silverfield’s time at Memphis and Heupel’s at UCF, and Heupel pointed to Silverfield’s work since then.
“Ryan has done a really good job,” Heupel said. “When he was at Memphis, I was at UCF, had familiarity with him.
Then his track record since I've left there. He's got familiarity in the footprint.
Smart, organized. Has gotten his guys to play at a really high level.”
Silverfield’s only head-to-head win over Heupel came in 2020, when Memphis edged UCF 50-49 at the Liberty Bowl in Silverfield’s first season leading the Tigers.
The series itself has been anything but quiet. Arkansas has won four of the last five meetings, even though Tennessee still holds a 14-7 advantage overall.
And if the past is any guide, there’s no reason to expect a tame afternoon in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks and Volunteers have delivered plenty of drama over the years, from Clint Stoerner’s fumble in Knoxville in 1998 to Arkansas’ revenge the next season behind Clint Stoener to Anthony Lucas, plus the surprise UA win on Rocky Top in 2015 and the back-and-forth battles in 2024 and 2025.
Arkansas will likely enter as a home underdog against a Tennessee team that could be in the College Football Playoff mix in 2026. Still, Silverfield’s first Razorback team should have a chance to make things uncomfortable for the Vols once again.
In Other News...
DeSean Bishop Just Weighed In On Tennessees Future Backfield
DeSean Bishops place in Tennessees backfield is already secure in the present, but the conversation around the future is getting interesting. The All-SEC running back said he would be open to sharing carries with a highly ranked 2027 recruit, a reminder that the Volunteers are trying to keep their roster balanced between immediate production and the long view. Bishop also made clear that his own focus is on the current season, even as NFL aspirations remain part of the bigger picture.
For Tennessee, the appeal is obvious: adding another elite back would only deepen a position group that already has a proven centerpiece. But the path to making that happen is still unresolved, with the recruit weighing his options and Bishops own long-term timeline far from settled. If both sides end up aligning, the Volunteers could be looking at a backfield that is built to last, but for now it remains one of those recruiting and roster questions that hangs in the background. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Power Shift Talk Should Have Mississippi State Fans On Edge
The SECs long-running frustration with the college sports setup is no longer just a background grumble. Commissioner Greg Sankey said the leagues leaders are openly discussing the possibility of breaking away from the NCAA structure, a sign of how much pressure has built around Congressional legislation, NIL transparency and the College Football Playoff format.
Sankey also made clear that a clean split is not the first choice, even with the SECs recent run of success across sports and its standing as the sports most powerful league. For schools like Tennessee, the bigger issue is what happens if the national system keeps stalling, because the more the SEC feels boxed in, the louder the power-shift conversation is likely to get. [Read more 🡒]
What Tennessee's Media Days Picks Could Signal About Vols Leadership
SEC Media Days opens Monday in Tampa, and Tennessees delegation offers a first look at which voices the program wants front and center heading into the 2026 college football season. Josh Heupel will be there, of course, but the player trio of DeSean Bishop, Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander is the part that stands out, especially with Bishop and Carter projected as important pieces for the Vols.
Telanders selection is the one worth watching a little closer. Tennessee has plenty to sort out before fall, and the choices it makes for a stage like this can say as much about the locker room hierarchy as any offseason depth chart. When Heupel and the three players speak in Tampa, the Vols may not reveal much outright, but they could offer a useful hint about where the team sees its leadership and linebacker room headed. [Read more 🡒]