As people around the world open presents and celebrate Christmas today, Tennessee football is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. That quest begins now as Josh Heupel and his staff begin filling out their roster for next season.
Here’s three things on Tennessee football’s Christmas wish list.
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An Experienced Quarterback On The 2026 Roster
Tennessee football has talented young quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon on its roster next season. But it’s a tall task to ask either to be the Vols’ starting quarterback next season as a redshirt and true freshman, respectively.
With a strong offensive supporting cast, Tennessee needs to find a veteran quarterback to lead its offense next season. Maybe Joey Aguilar gets another year of eligibility and he is the guy. But more likely the Vols will have to look to the transfer portal.
Whether it’s Josh Hoover, Brendan Sorsby, Rocco Becht, Colton Joseph or someone else, Tennessee needs to find a veteran and experienced quarterback to run the show next season.
Offensive Roster Retention
Tennessee should be attractive to any transfer quarterback because they have a talented returning cast on offense. As of right now, the Vols will return eight of 11 offensive starters from last season’s team. But these days, that’s no guarantee that they will all be back next season.
The Vols are looking to lock up receivers Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews as well as running back DeSean Bishop after all three had breakout sophomore seasons.
It would be icing on the cake if Tennessee gets left tackle Lance Heard back. Heard could declare for the NFL Draft or get a nice pay day somewhere else after entering the portal.
Quantity And Quality Additions At Safety
Tennessee checked off one thing on its wish list already this month, hiring Jim Knowles to replace Tim Banks as defensive coordinator. Now the Vols are looking for help in the portal across the board. But no where is more important than in the secondary.
The Vols need at least one starting caliber player if not two of them. They also need depth in the backend and some versatility with players able to play safety and STAR.
Tennessee needs to hit the secondary hard in the transfer portal, both from a quantity and quality standpoint.
