Tennessee has one player on On3’s Preseason 2026 All-American teams, and it’s a familiar name on the interior of the offensive line.
Wendell Moe Jr. landed on the third team, giving the Volunteers a notable preseason honor as the 2026 season approaches. He’s also stacked up plenty of recognition already, including a spot on the Outland Trophy Preseason Watchlist, Athlon Preseason All-American Third-Team, Athlon Preseason All-SEC First-Team and Media and Phil Steele Preseason All-SEC Third-Team.
The top of the On3 list includes Cincinnati’s Evan Tengesdahl and Houston’s Shadre Hurst on the first team, followed by Ohio State’s Luke Montgomery and Notre Dame’s Anthonie Knapp on the second team. Moe is the only Tennessee player to make the cut.
Moe’s first year on Rocky Top made a strong impression. He was one of the country’s best interior offensive linemen after handling work at both left and right guard, and the AP rewarded him with All-SEC First-Team honors. He played and started in 11 games, then dealt with an injury late in the season that kept him out of the Music City Bowl against Illinois and the road game at Florida in the penultimate regular-season matchup.
Before arriving at Tennessee, Moe built his résumé at Arizona. Over three seasons with the Wildcats, he earned All-Pac 12 Second-Team recognition in 2023 and also made the 2024 Big 12 Fall Academic Honor Roll.
A Long Beach, California native who starred at Long Beach Poly, Moe was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. The 6-foot-2, 330-pound lineman is projected to start for Tennessee again this season, with David Sanders Jr. at left tackle, Sam Pendleton at center, Jesse Perry at right guard and Ory Williams, an LSU transfer, at right tackle.
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Josh Heupels Fall Camp Message Is Exactly What Tennessee Needed
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