Tennessee football is getting the full spotlight this weekend, and College GameDay brought the energy straight to Knoxville ahead of Saturday’s matchup with top-ranked Texas.
Josh Heupel stopped by for an interview during ESPN’s pregame show, and he did it while tossing the ball with his son inside Neyland Stadium. Most of the conversation centered on how Tennessee has gotten ready for the Longhorns and what the Vols have to do when the game kicks off.
“I love the way that we’ve prepared,” Heupel said. “We’ve practiced well.
Let’s tee it up and go play it aggressive. Coaches are going to call it aggressive, players are going to play it aggressive, each play independent.
Let’s go take it in the fourth quarter.”
Heupel’s appearance ended with a moment built for the highlight reel. Pat McAfee said he would donate $100,000 if Heupel could hit the crossbar of the goalpost, and the Tennessee coach answered from 25 yards away by drilling it.
“Let’s let it rip.”
The ole gunslinger’s still got it 🎯 pic.twitter.com/sTVfsTGpqJ
- Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 26, 2026
The Vols will enter the game as a 4.5-point underdog on FanDuel as of Thursday afternoon. The total is set at 55.5 points, with Tennessee listed at +150 on the money line and Texas at -182.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on ABC. College GameDay will begin at 9 a.m. from Tennessee’s campus before moving inside the stadium at 11 a.m. Knoxville native Johnny Knoxville is set to be the guest picker.
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McAfee followed through with a $500,000 donation to the Pat Summitt Foundation, the nonprofit focused on fighting Alzheimers disease, and that gave the kick a meaning well beyond the stage show of Saturday morning television. For Volunteers fans, it was the kind of Knoxville moment that felt both pure college football and deeply tied to the programs history, with the spotlight on a cause that still resonates throughout Tennessee. [Read more 🡒]
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Nathan Robinson adds another layer of uncertainty, with the starting defensive lineman listed as a game-time decision and set to be evaluated before kickoff. For Tennessee, the concern is not just one injury here or there, but how the roster holds up when depth is suddenly being tested on both sides of the ball, forcing other players into bigger roles at precisely the wrong moment. [Read more 🡒]