Phil Steele’s preseason rankings have Tennessee sitting in a familiar but still useful neighborhood: the Top 20.
With the 2026 Tennessee football season now 50 days away, Steele placed the Vols at No. 18 in his preseason poll, slotting them one spot behind BYU and one ahead of Penn State. That puts Tennessee eighth among SEC teams in the rankings, trailing No.
3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No.
7 Oklahoma, No. 8 Ole Miss, No.
11 Alabama, No. 12 Texas A&M, and No.
16 South Carolina. The Vols are also positioned above No.
21 LSU and No. 23 Florida.
Tennessee’s schedule will give that ranking a real test. The Vols are set to face four SEC teams that appear in Steele’s Top 25: Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Every one of those matchups is scheduled for Knoxville except the trip to Texas A&M.
Steele’s No. 18 placement also lands between two other preseason evaluations of Tennessee. ESPN has the Vols at No. 25, while ESPN FPI puts them at No. 16.
The ranking reflects a team with clear strengths, but also some major unknowns. Tennessee brings back impact pieces on offense and at linebacker, yet the most important issue is still under center.
Joey Aguilar is gone, and the Vols will choose between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon for the starting quarterback job. The two worked side by side during spring camp, and that battle is set to continue into fall camp next month.
ESPN pointed to that quarterback competition as Tennessee’s biggest question heading into the season. “Entering spring, redshirt freshman George MacIntyre - he of nine career pass attempts - appeared to be the favorite, but five-star recruit Faizon Brandon showed out and now seems to have the edge in the competition.
Of course, a lot can happen between spring ball and fall camp, and both QBs figure to have sanded off some rough edges. MacIntyre has a slight edge in experience, but Brandon’s rapid rise has Vols fans dreaming big,” ESPN’s David Hale writes.
The other major storyline is the defense, where Tennessee is installing a new scheme this fall. Tim Banks and multiple members of his defensive staff were fired this offseason, and Jim Knowles now takes over as defensive coordinator. The Vols also added several defensive transfers to compete for jobs in the starting lineup and the rotation, though the highest-ranked transfer in that group, Chaz Coleman, will not play for Tennessee this year.
Even with the questions, Tennessee has enough proven production back to justify a strong preseason slot. The Vols return a solid offensive line, thousand-yard rusher DeSean Bishop, receivers Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews, and a deep linebackers room.
For now, No. 18 is the number attached to Tennessee’s preseason outlook. The AP poll will offer the next big checkpoint when it arrives next month.
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The reset comes with a loaded 2026 slate waiting on the other side, beginning with a home opener against Furman on Sept. 5 and rolling into a run of SEC matchups that will quickly test the new field. Texas is on the early schedule in a Checker Neyland atmosphere, and the rest of the home calendar brings the kind of opponents that will keep the stadium in the spotlight well beyond opening weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Transfer Haul Just Earned A Ranking Vols Fans Will Debate
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Jalen Haralson, Terrence Hill and Juke Harris all landed in the mix, with Tennessee set to lean on a group that arrives from Notre Dame, VCU and Wake Forest, respectively. The ranking will only fuel the usual debate around how quickly portal-heavy teams can mesh, especially with several other highly regarded players on the schedule and plenty of chances for these new faces to prove the list right or wrong. [Read more 🡒]