The 2025 season still isn’t wrapped up, with the national title game between Miami and Indiana set to be played on Monday night, but that doesn’t stop the rest of the country from looking ahead to the 2026 season. With the transfer portal closed and rosters becoming more and more finalized, On3 enlisted a number of writers to take a stab at a top-25. Those votes were averaged out to make On3’s official ‘way-too-early’ ranking.
Tennessee football clocked in at No. 20 in the rankings. Each ballot was not revealed individually, but only the top-14 were unanimous choices to be ranked by everyone in the poll. This means at least one writer left the Vols out.
UT’s position is good for eighth in the SEC. Tennessee is behind No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 12 LSU, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 17 Alabama.
NEW: On3 2026 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25👀
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— On3 (@On3) January 19, 2026
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“Why is Tennessee in the top 25? That’s a fair question, but Josh Heupel has shown throughout his tenure with the Volunteers that this team will overachieve,” On3’s Ari Wasserman wrote. “Right now, it seems highly unlikely that quarterback Joey Aguilar will be back next season, which raises the biggest question — who will play quarterback? Also, Jim Knowles takes over as defensive coordinator, and his defense typically takes more than a year for players to fully adapt to. That said, Tennessee will probably find a way to be ranked in this area next November.”
As Wasserman pointed out, Tennessee’s biggest question is at the quarterback position. The Vols return redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre, but he was the third-string option a year ago and rarely played in games. His main competition for the starting job will be Faizon Brandon, an incoming true freshman, who was considered a five-star recruit and the No. 2 player in the class by 247.
Tennessee also just brought in Colorado transfer quarterback Ryan Staub. He will have two years of eligibility and brings some collegiate experience to a young room. He is expected to compete for the job with MacIntyre and Brandon.
The Vols will also have a new-look defense. The majority of Tennessee’s transfer portal efforts have been on that side of the ball, with Jim Knowles taking over as defensive coordinator.
