Tennessee’s offense and defense both come with big unknowns heading into the 2026 season, but the roster isn’t short on bright spots. With SEC Media Days and fall camp getting closer, the biggest worries in Knoxville sit at quarterback and pass rusher. Even with those holes hanging over Josh Heupel’s fourth team, there are still a few places where Tennessee looks loaded enough to stack up with the best in the league.
If you’re looking for the Vols’ strongest position groups, receiver sits at the top of the list.
Tennessee is the only SEC team bringing back two wideouts who both topped 800 yards last season. Braylon Staley put up 68 catches for 837 yards and six touchdowns, while Mike Matthews finished with 53 receptions for 813 yards and four scores. That kind of production gives Tennessee a real one-two punch, and both players are entering their junior seasons with a chance to grow into even bigger roles.
The Vols will need others to step in after losing Chris Brazzell, who commanded plenty of defensive attention. That won’t be a simple replacement.
Still, Tennessee has options behind its top two. Radarious Jackson, Travis Smith Jr. and TK Keys are all in the mix for the third starting job, and that group also adds quality depth.
Inside linebacker comes next, and it might be Tennessee’s deepest room overall.
Edwin Spillman took a clear step forward in the second half of his redshirt freshman year, while Jadon Perlotte showed off real speed and talent at times as a true freshman. Tennessee also added Amare Campbell, who arrives after a 103-tackle season at Penn State, giving the group a proven veteran presence. Then Arion Carter changed his mind and decided to return to Tennessee after first declaring for the NFL Draft.
That gives the Vols a long list of options: Carter, Campbell, Spillman, Perlotte, Jeremiah Telander and blue-chip freshmen T.J. White and Brayden Rouse.
The depth is obvious. What remains to be seen is how high the ceiling goes.
Can Carter play like an All-SEC linebacker if he stays healthy? Can Spillman turn into one of the conference’s best at the position?
Those answers will shape the unit, but the baseline is already strong.
Cornerback rounds out the top three.
Auburn transfer Kayin Lee looks like one of Tennessee’s most underrated portal pickups. He started 24 games over the last two seasons and was a sought-after addition. Last year at Auburn, Lee gave up only 21 catches for 251 yards and no touchdowns while also picking off two passes.
Ty Redmond handled himself well as a true freshman and is set to start on the other side as a sophomore. He improved steadily as the 2025 season went on and could be ready for a breakout in 2026.
The concern here is depth, but Tennessee at least has some help in versatile Florida transfer defensive back Jadais Richard. The growth of sophomore Tre Poteat will matter too.
In Other News...
Tennessees Quarterback Battle May Already Be Telling Fans Something Big
Tennessees quarterback room is already one of the most watched parts of fall camp, and for good reason. The Vols are set to sort through a competition that includes true freshman Faizon Brandon, redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre and transfer Ryan Staub, a mix that gives the staff both youth and experience as it tries to identify the next answer under center.
Brandon has been the name drawing the most attention so far, not just because of his recruiting profile, but because of how quickly he has taken to the offense. Coaches have been encouraged by his early progress, and that kind of head start can matter in a room where every rep counts. Even before the competition really settles in, there is already a sense that Tennessee may be seeing the shape of its future at quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Biggest 2026 NIL Price Tag Comes With One Huge Twist
Tennessees roster-building under the modern NIL system has produced a familiar sort of arms race, with the biggest numbers often attached to the most coveted young talent. Left tackle David Sanders Jr. sits at the top of the active group with a reported $1.7 million valuation, while quarterback George MacIntyre and a cluster of freshmen and juniors are also being discussed in the six- and seven-figure range. It is a reminder that for the Volunteers, the price of keeping pace in the SEC is no longer just about recruiting rankings or depth charts, but about how aggressively the program can secure the players it believes will matter most.
Chaz Coleman is the twist in that picture. The edge rusher reportedly signed Tennessees largest NIL deal at $2 million, only for the arrangement to change after a medical disqualification, leaving the school to pay out roughly $200,000 before he moved on. For a program trying to balance immediate roster needs with long-term investment, that kind of turn is exactly why NIL has become as much about risk management as it is about talent acquisition. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Finally Gets The National Respect Vols Fans Wanted
College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein gave Tennessee another sign that the Vols are being viewed the way their fans have long wanted, slotting them No. 10 in his Rothstein Power 45. For a program that has spent recent seasons trying to turn strong regular-season teams into something even more dangerous in March, the ranking fits the broader sense around this roster: Tennessee has the talent to be taken seriously as a national title threat.
Rick Barnes has used the transfer portal to reshape the group with a clear eye toward more scoring punch, adding Juke Harris, Terrence Hill Jr., Jalan Haralson, Dai Dai Ames, Miles Rubin, Braedan Lue, Christian Fermin and DeWayne Brown II. The Vols still want to win the familiar way, with defense and rebounding at the center of everything, but the real test is coming soon enough in a demanding non-conference slate that should say plenty about how ready this team is for the postseason. [Read more 🡒]