Tennessee will open the 2026 college football season inside the top 20, at least according to the coaches.
The preseason coaches poll came out Tuesday, and the Vols landed at No. 18. That’s a notable placement considering the media had Tennessee hovering right around the edge of the preseason rankings, somewhere between 24 and 25.
One of the biggest questions around this team is the quarterback situation. Tennessee is set to roll out a new starter who has no starting experience, and the source material notes that both players are talented, with Brandon’s upside seeming limitless. Even so, there’s going to be a learning curve for both during the season.
The coaches’ respect for Tennessee clearly goes beyond that spot, though. Josh Heupel has built an offense that can threaten just about anybody, and this year’s group has plenty of weapons to work with.
DeSean Bishop, Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley, TK Keys, and Ethan Davis give the Vols a skill-position group that can match up with anyone in the SEC and maybe the country. Up front, David Sanders, Jr. and Wendell Moe, Jr. are two of the key pieces on the offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee still has some questions off the edge after Chaz Coleman’s departure, but the middle of the defense looks strong with Daevin Hobbs and Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam. The linebacker group is described as deep, experienced, and talented, and the secondary has help at corner with Ty Redmond and Auburn transfer Kayin Lee. Edrees Farooq is coming off a breakout 2025 and had a strong spring, while Michigan transfer TJ Metcalf could line up beside him.
And then there’s the work done in the weight room. The source also points to the physical changes strength and conditioning coach Derek Owings has helped drive this offseason.
In Other News...
Josh Heupel Blasts Arion Carter Fallout Tennessee Fans Will Hate
Arion Carters return to Tennessee should have been a clean football story, the kind coaches use to point to a player betting on himself and coming back for another season. Instead, the linebackers offseason has been clouded by an NCAA ruling tied to a $427 flight from the pre-NFL draft process, a benefit Carter later repaid after choosing to head back to school. The situation has already put the Volunteers in an awkward spot, with one of their linebackers facing a penalty after doing what programs usually celebrate.
Josh Heupel did not hide his frustration with how the case was handled, and he made it clear he believes Carters character and decision to stay in Knoxville deserved a different outcome. Tennessee now has to move forward with Carter unavailable for two games this season, a setback that lands harder because the issue stems from a narrow recruiting-and-draft process technicality rather than anything on the field. It leaves the Vols dealing with the practical cost of a ruling their coach clearly thinks missed the point. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Secondary Just Took A Tough Hit Before Jim Knowles' Debut
Tennessees secondary took an early blow before Jim Knowles has even settled into his new role, with cornerback Jadais Richard set to miss the 2026 season because of a season-ending injury, according to Adam Sparks of Knox News. Richard arrived from Miami as a versatile defensive back who could move around the back end, and his history of injuries made durability a quiet concern even before this latest setback.
For a defense that had counted on offseason portal additions and returning players to stabilize the rotation, losing Richard narrows the margin for error at corner. Knowles is trying to reshape a retooled secondary, and one less experienced piece in that mix makes the job a little more complicated before the season even gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Just Put Former Vol Boo Carter Back Under The Spotlight
Boo Carters move from Tennessee to Colorado was always going to keep him in view, but Deion Sanders has now turned the attention up another notch. The former Vol defensive back, who was dismissed from the program before transferring, is working under Sanders with the Buffaloes, and the Hall of Fame coach has been openly bullish on what Carter can become as he settles into a fresh start.
Sanders went so far as to suggest Carter has the kind of athletic tools that could put him in first-round NFL Draft territory in either 2027 or 2028, a striking vote of confidence for a player still early in his development. For Tennessee fans, it is another reminder of both Carters upside and the reasons his path changed in the first place, and for Colorado it adds a little more intrigue around a transfer whose ceiling is being discussed long before the story is finished. [Read more 🡒]