Tennessee football has shown up at No. 22 in AP Poll voter Brett McMurphy’s preseason top 25, a sign the Vols are at least in the mix as the 2026 season approaches. The full AP Poll is set to be released Monday, August 17.
McMurphy’s ballot puts Tennessee eighth in the SEC. Ahead of the Vols in his rankings are No.
3 Georgia, No. 6 Texas, No.
9 Ole Miss, No. 11 Texas A&M, No.
12 Oklahoma, No. 15 LSU and No.
20 Alabama.
That placement also maps out a demanding schedule. Tennessee is set to host No.
6 Texas, No. 15 LSU and No.
20 Alabama, while also going on the road to No. 11 Texas A&M.
Other opponents on the Vols’ schedule - Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Auburn, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt - did not make McMurphy’s preseason top 25. Tennessee opens against FCS opponent Furman.
For now, the focus inside the program is on fall practice, where the quarterback battle is front and center. Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre are competing for the starting job, and Josh Heupel said the staff is watching every detail.
“We do analyze every throw, every practice, the read, fundamental, the technique, absolutely,” Josh Heupel said. “I think you’re looking at every individual play.
There’s areas of growth. And you want to see your quarterbacks - it’s true for every player - just continue to get better.
And I said it yesterday, but guys that keep making the same mistake twice, the third time, that’s when I get concerned. It’s a player’s responsibility to learn it, earn it, and take it and prove he’s going to play at a championship level.
And to do that, to get to that point, you got to be able to progress from day to day, rep to rep.”
Tennessee is also working through a major defensive reset after hiring coordinator Jim Knowles. The Vols have reshaped that side of the ball with staff changes and personnel moves as they prepare for the season.
In Other News...
Former Vols Give Tennessee Fans Plenty To Watch Thursday Night
The NFL preseason keeps rolling Thursday night with six games on the schedule, and Tennessee fans have a familiar slate of names to keep an eye on. Former Vols are scattered across multiple rosters, giving the orange-and-white crowd a reason to flip around the games and check on old standouts trying to carve out their spots.
Hendon Hooker and Joshua Dobbs remain among the most recognizable former Tennessee quarterbacks in the mix, while rookies Tyre West and Jermod McCoy add a newer layer to the watch list. Injury concerns could also shape who actually gets on the field, including Lions offensive lineman Cade Mays, leaving a little uncertainty around how much Vols representation fans will get by the end of the night. [Read more 🡒]
Former Vols Get A Big NFL Chance And Titans Fans Will Care
The NFL preseason is giving several former Tennessee Volunteers a fresh chance to make an impression, and a few of those opportunities will land squarely on the radar of Titans fans. Josh Dobbs is in camp with the Detroit Lions, while Kamal Hadden and McCallan Castles are with the Green Bay Packers, adding to a familiar list of Vols spread across the league as teams start sorting out the back end of their rosters.
For Tennessee followers, the most interesting group is the one wearing Titans colors, where former Vols such as Alontae Taylor and Hendon Hooker are expected to see the field in the preseason. It is the kind of August stretch that can matter for players trying to carve out roles and for fans tracking how much orange-and-white talent is showing up on Sunday rosters, even if the real decisions are still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fall Camp Is Heating Up Around Two Tough Position Battles
With Tennessees opener against Furman drawing closer, fall camp is starting to sort out a couple of the more interesting battles on the roster. The safety room looks especially crowded, which could make it harder for Dejuan Lane to carve out consistent snaps, while Joel Wyatts size and physical profile have put him in position to get on the field. There is enough depth there to make every rep matter, and the staff is still sorting out how the pieces fit.
Linebacker, meanwhile, has become a deeper and more competitive group after the additions of Amare Campbell, TJ White and Brayden Rouse. Jeremiah Telander is expected to remain part of the answer there as a rotational player and occasional starter, which gives Tennessee a few different ways to piece together the group. The result is a camp that feels less about simply filling roles and more about deciding which players can force their way into them. [Read more 🡒]