Tennessee’s defensive line is the biggest question hanging over fall camp, and Rodney Garner knows it. The Vols are deep into preseason work for the 2026 season, and Garner is trying to get a front ready for the kind of SEC punishment that always shows up.
But this offseason came with an interruption that changed the way he views the job. At the start of spring camp, Garner dealt with a health scare that kept him from being at practice in person. He stayed involved through virtual meetings, but the lost time weighed on him once he got back around the team.
“We just got to accelerate it. I feel partially to blame, too,” Garner said.
“I was missing all that time in the spring. Even though it was a health related, it’s still that was time for them to grow and matriculate and do things like that.
I feel more energized, though, about coming out there. I could feel more, like I did five, 10 years ago, really wanting to get after them and get them going and all that.
So it may be coming across a lot more aggressive because you really don’t realize how important things are until things are almost taken away from you.
“What I felt like, what I went through, that definitely made me appreciate. I’ve always appreciated being at Tennessee, but it’s made me appreciate it more.
It’s made me appreciate this opportunity. It’s made me appreciate this game, and I feel like I’ve got much more that I can give to this game.
And I want these kids to feel the same way. And that’s what we’re trying to get across every day.”
Garner is working alongside LEOs coach Andrew Jackson as Tennessee sorts through a group with a little bit of everything. Inside, the Vols have Daevin Hobbs, Nathan Robinson, Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam, Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley. On the edge, the group includes Tulane transfer Jordan Norman, Tyree Weathersby, Christian Gass, Mariyon Dye and several freshmen.
That blend of experience and upside has produced the kind of practice tape Garner expects from a group still learning how to piece it all together. Some snaps stand out. Others fall short.
“There’s guys that flash,” Garner said. Just guys who had good days, just guys who had bad days.
And we just got to continue to stack good on good, and continue to grow. I mean, we can’t take two steps forward and then take a step back.
We’re not really going anywhere. I mean, we’re just running in place.
So that’s the challenge.”
Tennessee opens the season Sept. 5 at home against Furman. The FCS matchup shouldn’t be much of a test, but the Vols will need to be sharper the next week when they head to Georgia Tech.
In Other News...
Heupels First Scrimmage Put Tennessees Biggest Camp Questions In Focus
Josh Heupels first fall camp scrimmage offered Tennessee a useful early checkpoint as the Vols continue sorting through two of the biggest questions on the roster. The head coach met with the media afterward and touched on the quarterback competition, while also giving an update on a defense that is in the middle of major change under new coordinator Jim Knowles.
The defensive makeover includes a new coaching staff and transfer additions, which makes every practice rep feel a little more meaningful in August. On offense, the quarterback race remains unsettled, and the next stretch of camp figures to matter as Tennessee keeps evaluating where things stand. Rocky Top Insider will continue following the Vols throughout the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees QB Battle Just Took A Turn Fans Needed To See
Tennessee still has a little time before the season opener against Furman, but the quarterback picture is beginning to come into focus. Five-star freshmen Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre are competing for the job, and Josh Heupel came away from a recent scrimmage talking up the growth both young passers have shown as the Vols work through the final stretch of camp.
The part fans are watching most closely is the direction of the battle after that scrimmage, because one insider in attendance came away with a clear sense that Brandon has the edge right now. Even so, Tennessee has not made anything official yet, which leaves the door open for the competition to keep unfolding as the opener gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fall Camp Just Put Its Biggest Unanswered Questions On Display
Tennessees seventh fall camp practice brought the first real chance to hear how the roster is sorting itself out, with media day giving a look at both sides of the ball. Wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope and players including Radarious Jackson, Joakim Dodson, DaSaahn Brame and Trent Thomas all met with reporters, while the buzz around camp stayed centered on a quarterback battle and the early stages of a new defensive setup.
George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon and Ryan Staub are still in the mix as the offense tries to settle its most important job, and the defense is working through life under coordinator Jim Knowles. There is still plenty to learn before Tennessee gets all the answers it wants, but fall camp is already laying out the biggest questions on the board, and Rocky Top Insider will keep tracking the practices, interviews and analysis as the month moves on. [Read more 🡒]