Tennessee football is heading into a pivotal offseason after wrapping up a 2025 campaign that left plenty to be desired. The Vols finished 8-4 overall and 4-4 in SEC play-solid on paper, but the details tell a different story.
All four losses came against quality opponents, and more importantly, they didn’t notch a single win against a ranked or top-tier team. That’s the kind of season that doesn’t just sting-it demands answers.
And for Josh Heupel and his staff, the pressure is officially on.
Now, this isn’t a rebuild. There’s still a lot to like about Tennessee’s roster.
The Vols have talent across the board, and the program’s recruiting pipeline remains strong. But the road ahead won’t be easy.
The 2026 schedule ramps things up with a full nine-game SEC slate and a tricky non-conference road trip to Georgia Tech. That’s a tougher draw than what they faced this year, and it means Tennessee will need to take a step forward-not sideways-if they want to stay in the SEC hunt.
Here’s the silver lining: Tennessee will face four SEC teams next season that are breaking in brand-new head coaches. That’s not a guarantee of anything, especially in the modern transfer portal era where rosters can flip overnight, but it’s still an edge. And in a conference as unforgiving as the SEC, you take every edge you can get.
Let’s break it down.
Auburn, Arkansas, and LSU all made coaching changes at the end of the regular season. Auburn brought in Alex Golesh from South Florida to replace Hugh Freeze. That name should ring a bell-Golesh was Heupel’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee for two seasons, and now he’ll return to Neyland Stadium leading a Tigers squad in transition.
Arkansas, meanwhile, turned to Ryan Silverfield, who had been at the helm at Memphis, to take over for Sam Pittman. And then there’s LSU, which made the biggest splash of the group by hiring Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss to replace Brian Kelly. That’s right-Kiffin is back in the SEC West, and he’ll be back in Knoxville too, where his name still stirs up memories (and emotions) from his one-year stint as Tennessee’s head coach before his abrupt departure to USC.
Those are three high-profile changes, and Tennessee gets all three of those teams in 2026. But the shakeup didn’t stop there.
On Sunday night, Kentucky made a move of its own, parting ways with longtime head coach Mark Stoops after 13 seasons. That’s a major shift in Lexington, and while it’s still unclear who the Wildcats are targeting as a replacement, it adds another first-year coach to Tennessee’s upcoming schedule.
And keep an eye on Kennesaw State, too. The Owls are slated to visit Knoxville on September 19 for a non-conference matchup, but their head coach, Jerry Mack, is reportedly in the mix for the Tulane job. If he lands it, that could lead to yet another coaching change for a future Tennessee opponent.
Now, it’s worth noting that facing a first-year head coach doesn’t carry quite the same advantage it once did. Thanks to the transfer portal, new coaches can rebuild rosters fast and field competitive teams in year one.
But there’s still something to be said for continuity, and Tennessee has that. Heupel’s system is in place, his staff is intact, and his players know the playbook.
That matters.
And history backs it up. Since Heupel took over in 2021, Tennessee is a perfect 6-0 against first-year SEC head coaches.
That list includes wins over Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), Billy Napier (Florida), Brian Kelly (LSU), Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), and Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State). That’s not a fluke-that’s a trend.
So while the 2025 season didn’t deliver the breakthrough many fans were hoping for, the Vols have a real opportunity in 2026. The schedule is tougher, sure.
But the path is there. And if Tennessee can take care of business against teams still finding their footing under new leadership, they could be right back in the thick of the SEC race.
This offseason? It’s about tightening the screws, developing young talent, and making sure the Vols are ready to hit the ground running. Because next fall, the margin for error will be razor thin-but the potential payoff could be huge.