Tennessee heads into 2026 with plenty to prove after just missing the College Football Playoff last season, and Josh Heupel is back for his sixth year at the helm. The Volunteers finished 8-5 in 2025, but there’s still a lot to like about the pieces returning around a new quarterback.
The biggest change comes under center, where Fazion Brandon steps in after Joey Aguilar moved on to the NFL. Aguilar directed an offense that put up 39.8 points and 466.3 yards per game, so Brandon inherits a group with real production behind it. Braylon Staley is back as a top target, and DeSean Bishop returns after topping 1,000 rushing yards last season.
On the other side of the ball, Arion Carter is expected to anchor the defense. During SEC play, he led the conference with 7.60 tackles per game.
Tennessee’s 2026 slate opens at home on Sept. 5 against Furman, and the Volunteers get a busy September right away. They follow that with a Sept. 12 trip to Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. on ESPN, then host Kennesaw State on Sept. 19 at 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network. Texas comes to Knoxville on Sept. 26 for a noon kickoff, with TV still to be announced.
The rest of the schedule stretches into a demanding conference run. Tennessee hosts Auburn on Oct. 3 before traveling to Arkansas on Oct.
- Alabama visits on Oct. 17, then the Vols go to South Carolina on Oct.
- After an off week, Kentucky comes to town on Nov. 7, followed by road games at Texas A&M on Nov. 14 and Vanderbilt on Nov.
- LSU visits on Nov. 21, and the regular season closes with the SEC Championship on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. on ABC.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Got An Arion Carter Break It Desperately Needed
The wait around Arion Carter is shorter than Tennessee first feared. The NCAA cut the linebackers suspension from two games to one, meaning he will miss the season opener against Furman but be eligible when the Volunteers face Georgia Tech, a notable lift for a defense that wants its core pieces in place early.
Josh Heupel and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles both backed Carter through the process and were relieved by the reduced penalty. The case stemmed from a Level III NCAA violation involving an impermissible benefit tied to a flight paid by Carters then-agent, and Tennessee can now move ahead knowing one of its more important defensive names will be back sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Iamaleava Just Reopened A Tennessee Debate Fans Won't Forget
Nico Iamaleavas move to UCLA still hangs over Tennessee in the way only a quarterback departure can, and his first season in Los Angeles did little to quiet the discussion. Now heading into his second year as the Bruins starter, Iamaleava has looked back on the transfer and said he has no regrets, a reminder that the decision was as much about his own path as it was about the reaction it drew in Knoxville.
The on-field results at UCLA have been uneven, with the Bruins coming off a 3-9 season and Iamaleava finishing with 1,928 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Tennessee, meanwhile, moved on with Joey Aguilar and quickly found a player fans embraced, which only adds another layer to a debate that has never really gone away. For Volunteers fans, the story is less about reliving the transfer itself than about how quickly the program turned the page, even as the former starter remains tied to the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Takes An Early Roster Hit Before The Season Even Starts
Tennessees basketball roster took an early jolt before the 2026-27 season even gets going, as freshman Ralph Scott is set to miss the year after undergoing left knee surgery Thursday. Rick Barnes confirmed the injury and said the program will support Scott through the recovery process, a difficult setback for a player Tennessee had hoped would factor into the mix right away.
Scott arrived with real expectations as a top-ranked recruit, the kind of freshman who can change the look of a rotation before conference play ever arrives. Instead, the Vols will have to move forward without him this season, and the bigger question now is how Tennessee absorbs the loss of a player it had penciled in as an immediate contributor. [Read more 🡒]