Josh Heupel’s reputation as an offensive mind keeps getting louder, and the latest SEC ranking only adds to the buzz around Tennessee’s head coach.
Matrix Analytical placed Heupel at No. 1 among offensive play callers in the SEC, giving him the top spot after another season in which Tennessee’s attack drew plenty of attention. Heupel has kept play-calling duties as the Vols’ head coach, and the results have helped build his profile as one of the sport’s most respected offensive voices.
Heupel landed just ahead of Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. Tennessee will face Alabama, Vanderbilt, Texas and LSU this season, putting the Vols directly in line with several of the names near the top of that list.
The expectation in Knoxville is that Heupel will have another productive offense in 2026, even with an unproven quarterback set to take over. The competition for the starting job is down to Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre and Ryan Staub, with the group still working through the battle.
After the Orange and White Game, Heupel pointed to the progress he has seen from that room.
“I do love the growth from that group,” Heupel said about the quarterbacks after the Orange and White Game. “I love the way that they competed with themselves, with each other.
I love the way that they’ve grown every single day. Each of them maybe had a day where it was a little bit below what they had shown and their expectations, too.
They responded and came back the next day and were a lot better. So, there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things that they and we have to work on as a football team.”
Tennessee is set to return for fall camp at the beginning of August as it begins preparing for the 2026 season. The nonconference schedule includes Furman, a road trip to Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State before the Vols move into a nine-game SEC slate.
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These 3 Vols Could Decide How Tennessee's 2026 Offense Holds Up
Tennessees offense is entering the kind of transition that can make a season feel either steadier than expected or far shakier than planned. Joey Aguilar is out of the picture, leaving George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon and Ryan Staub in a quarterback competition that should shape everything else around them, while the Vols also have to sort out a front and skill group with some significant pressure points. Left tackle David Sanders Jr., tight end Ethan Davis and running back DeSean Bishop stand out as the most important pieces in that equation, especially with the offense asking a lot from a new-look supporting cast.
Sanders is one of the linchpins because Tennessee needs him to stabilize the edge, and Davis becomes even more important if the passing game is going to find any early rhythm. Bishop already proved he can shoulder a heavy load, but the Vols are thinner behind him than they were a year ago, which means the margin for error could be small if the quarterback battle drags on or the depth around him does not come through. For a team trying to keep its offense from slipping, those three players may end up deciding how much of the 2026 version still looks like Tennessee football. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees 2026 Outlook Hinges On One Massive Unknown
Tennessee spent the offseason trying to shore up the parts of the roster it could control, making coaching changes and loading up on defenders through the transfer portal. The arrival of Jim Knowles gives the Volunteers a new voice on that side of the ball, and the addition of 12 portal defenders, including Amare Campbell and Jordan Norman, suggests there is real effort being made to raise the floor before the 2026 season even arrives.
But the entire outlook still seems to circle back to the same uneasy question under center. The Vols return key pieces on offense, yet the quarterback situation remains unsettled with two inexperienced options in the mix, and that kind of uncertainty can swing a season in a hurry. If the answer comes quickly, Tennessees ceiling looks a lot different than if the position lingers as a weekly mystery. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Suddenly Has One Defender Carrying Huge Pressure Up Front
Tennessees defensive line depth chart has taken on a different look heading into the fall, with the Vols needing to patch together a rotation after an offseason roster change up front. Tulane transfer Jordan Norman is part of that answer, and there are also younger linemen like Christian Gass, Kedric Golston and Carter Gooden who now figure to be pushed into more meaningful depth roles as Tennessee reshapes the front.
The most important name in that mix may be Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam, who coaches have already singled out for the way he handled spring practices. With the interior of the line suddenly carrying more pressure, Tennessee is counting on Gilliam to become a steady presence in the middle and help stabilize a group that no longer has much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]