Tennessee is still more than a month from opening the regular season, but Rick Barnes already has a clear read on where his team has made the biggest jump over the summer.
The Vols will get two marquee exhibition tests in October, hosting Xavier on Oct. 15 before heading to Duke on Oct. 20.
But before those tune-up games arrive, Barnes likes what he’s seen from a roster that has been reshaped with offense in mind. Tennessee added players such as Juke Harris, Terrence Hill, and Jalen Haralson, and the buzz around this group has centered on the new scoring punch it can bring.
After summer workouts and now in preseason camp ahead of the Nov. 3 opener, Barnes pointed first to conditioning when asked last week about the team’s growth since practices began.
“Well, one, I think they’re in probably the best shape of their life,” Barnes said. “(Strength coach) Garrett (Medenwald) has done a great job along with (team trainer) Chad (Newman).
I mean, not many guys have missed a lot of practice. I think they would tell you that they’ve all improved their skill level.
I think speed is probably one area, because playing at the pace that we want to play is not easy. Everybody talks about wanting to run and play in transition, but very few guys understand how hard that is to do it right.
Hopefully they’re starting to figure that out.”
Barnes also made it clear that Tennessee’s push this summer has been about more than just getting in shape. For him, the real separator is what he calls “cardio toughness,” and that’s tied directly to how deep the Vols can go once the season starts.
“By now, I do think guys should be further along in terms of understanding the system that we’ve talked about all summer,” Barnes said. “But some of it, early, they couldn’t handle it because of lack of conditioning.
Cardio toughness, it’s easy to talk about, but it’s really hard when you put it in the blender to realize, hey, I’ve got to play on both ends of the court. And we’re asking these guys not for a good effort, we’re asking them for a max effort every single time.”
That kind of physical demand has long been a calling card of Barnes’ teams in Knoxville, and it usually shows up in the trust needed to earn minutes. Tennessee’s staff has spent the offseason preparing this group for exactly that standard.
“For some of them, it has been just simply to get them to understand you’ve got to break through the wall when you get tired,” Barnes said. “They’re not tired.
First of all, they’re in shape. It’s a mental thing.
They’ve got to break through that wall. And physically they can go forever.
They just don’t know it yet. Some of them do.
Some of them can play. The fatigue doesn’t affect them at all.
But we need more guys, when they hit that wall to figure out how to get under it, get over it, get around it. They’ve got to get through it.”
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Got A Left Side O-Line Problem It Can't Ignore
The opening drive against Texas left Tennessee with an immediate problem on the left side of its offensive line, and it is one the Volunteers are now expected to live with for the rest of the 2026 season. Starting left guard Wendell Moe Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the year after sustaining an injury in that game, and head coach Josh Heupel has not offered any specifics on the injury itself.
In the meantime, Tennessee has already started to reshuffle up front, moving Sham Umarov to left guard and inserting Donovan Haslam at right guard. It is the kind of in-game adjustment that can solve one issue for a night, but for the Volunteers it also underscores how much strain one absence can put on the interior of the line as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A Proven Starter At The Worst Possible Time
Wendell Moe Jr. was supposed to be one of the steadying pieces of Tennessees season, the veteran guard who brought preseason All-American recognition and returned as an All-SEC pick. Instead, the Volunteers are bracing for life without him after he was injured against Texas, a blow that lands especially hard because of how much value he provided on an offensive line that already needed continuity and reliability.
The timing makes it even tougher for Tennessee, which now has to sort through its depth and identify the next linemen up for the coming stretch of games. Losing a proven starter in the middle of the season changes the look of the line immediately, and for a team with big ambitions, the absence of a player with Moe Jr.s experience is the kind of setback that can ripple well beyond one position group. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Got A Faizon Brandon Scare At The Worst Time
Faizon Brandons brief injury scare against Texas gave Tennessee a tense moment at the worst possible time, but the freshman quarterback was evaluated and cleared by medical staff to return and finish the game. For a Volunteers offense already trying to settle in around a young passer, getting him back on the field was a relief in the moment and a sign that the shoulder issue did not linger long enough to knock him out of the lineup.
Brandon also did not appear on Tennessees initial SEC Student Athlete Availability Report for the upcoming Auburn game, which points to the staff expecting him to be available. Josh Heupel added to that optimism by confirming Brandon was healthy and ready to play, a reassuring update for a Tennessee team that can ill afford another setback at quarterback as conference play keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]