Tennessee’s 2026 season starts with a new face under center and a familiar demand from Josh Heupel’s offense: somebody has to produce, and produce big.
Furman comes to Knoxville on Sept. 5, and all eyes will be on Faizon Brandon, the 5-star freshman who has already been named the starting quarterback. The hype around Brandon is obvious, but Tennessee’s offense won’t run on quarterback buzz alone. The Vols need impact from the backs and the wideouts, too, especially with an 18-year-old signal-caller leading the way.
At receiver, the expectation is that Mike Matthews steps into the top spot. With Chris Brazzell gone and now in the NFL, Tennessee needs a new WR1, and Matthews looks like the best bet to grab that role.
Braylon Staley is also positioned for a big year after finishing second on the team in receiving yards last season with 837, just ahead of Matthews at 813. But the projection here is that Matthews takes the lead with 68 catches for 1,105 yards and seven touchdowns.
The ground game should be a major part of the answer, and junior running back DeSean Bishop is the centerpiece there. He didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone last season, piling up 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, but he still doesn’t get enough national attention for what he brings. Tennessee is expected to lean on him even more this year, and that workload could push him to 1,247 rushing yards and 18 scores.
Brandon’s first season comes with plenty of pressure, but also plenty of help. Tennessee’s offense has playmakers around him, and the early success of the year may come down to how quickly he can distribute the ball.
The comparison point is there, too: Nico Iamaleava helped lead Tennessee to the CFP as a freshman starter two seasons ago. Brandon isn’t being projected to match that kind of run, but a season of 2,256 passing yards and 19 touchdowns would still count as a strong debut.
In Other News...
Another Former Tennessee Defender Just Got Caught In NFL Roster Crunch
The NFL roster squeeze reached another former Tennessee defender this week, with Matthew Butler among the players let go as teams trimmed down ahead of the season deadline. Butler, who lined up on the defensive line for the Volunteers, had been with the Miami Dolphins before his release and now finds himself back on the market as clubs finalize their openings.
Butler joins a growing list of recent Vols to hit the same wall, alongside former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end McCallan Castles, who were also cut by their teams. For Butler, the next step is simple but far from easy: catch on with another NFL opportunity and keep his career moving toward the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Dobbs Just Added To Tennessee's Quarterback Pride Story
Josh Dobbs keeps finding ways to stay in the mix at the pro level, and his latest outing for the Detroit Lions only adds to the long line of Tennessee quarterbacks making noise in the NFL. The former Vol was efficient, completing 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the kind of showing that reinforces why teams keep trusting him in backup conversations.
For Tennessee fans, it also fits into a broader theme that has been building for a while. Joe Milton III, Hendon Hooker and Joey Aguilar are all in the hunt for backup jobs around the league, giving the program a steady stream of quarterbacks with real NFL relevance. Dobbs is now in position to back up Jared Goff, and it is another reminder that the Vols quarterback pipeline keeps reaching the league in meaningful ways. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees New Defensive Front Has A Camp Name Fans Need To Know
Jim Knowles is putting his stamp on Tennessee football quickly, and part of that has been building a new look along the defensive front with transfer tackle Xavier Gilliam right in the middle of it. Gilliam followed Knowles from Penn State and has already drawn strong reviews throughout spring and fall camp, with coaches and teammates noticing both his play and the way he carries himself as the Vols shape their identity for the coming season.
For Tennessee, that matters because Knowles is arriving with fresh expectations and a roster in transition, and the defensive front will be one of the clearest indicators of how fast the new system takes hold. Gilliams emergence has added some early momentum to that process, and the attention he has earned suggests there may be more to this front than just a schematic change as camp gives way to game prep. [Read more 🡒]