From 2021-23, Tennessee football was known for its high-powered offense that blew teams out of the water and covered up a sometimes shaky defense. In 2024, Josh Heupel’s squad suffocated offenses on the defensive side of the ball, though the offense trailed behind. 2025 saw the offense recover, but the defense fell off a cliff.
The result was Heupel moving on from defensive coordinator Tim Banks and bringing in national champion defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. As the Vols retool their roster, a primary effort has been on finding a way to get the defense back to where it was during that 2024 campaign.
It’s a clip from early in that 2024 season that has resonated with Knowles, as well. After Tennessee hammered NC State in Charlotte, 51-10, Heupel made a statement after the game.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense,” Heupel said. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”
Tennessee football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said he’s been showing this clip to recruiting and transfer portal targets:
➡️ https://t.co/Ln3lU3RzUX pic.twitter.com/4oCn1FcZPW
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) January 23, 2026
More From RTI: What New Tennessee Football Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles Said on ‘The Mike Keith Show’
During an appearance on ‘The Mike Keith Show‘, Knowles revealed he’s chopped up that video and used it on the recruiting trail. When he’s meeting with high school prospects and transfers, he shows that video to hammer home the importance of building up a strong defense at UT.
“There’s a standard at Tennessee,” Knowles said. “And I got back to – I put together a little recruiting tape myself and there’s a clip from Coach Heupel about what he expects from the defense at Tennessee, to be elite. The home of Reggie White. So I listened to that and I saw it and I’ve been showing it to recruits or transfer portal guys as they come into my office. It’s a 30-second clip, but that’s our charge. So we need to get hands on the players, particularly with the leadership, so that we’ll bring guys together as quickly as possible with, as you said, the new additions, the transfer portal. Before we even get into scheme, we have to make sure everybody understands that standard of playing elite defense at Tennessee.”
So far, Knowles has done a great job building up the roster through the portal. On the defensive line, he’s added Chaz Coleman and Xavier Gilliam from his Penn State roster and Tulane’s Jordan Norman. At linebacker, he brought in Amare Campbell from the Nittany Lions and secured a return from Arion Carter.
The secondary is where the biggest change has come, though. He’s added Qua Moss from Kansas State, Kayin Lee from Auburn, Dejuan Lane from Penn State, TJ and Tevis Metcalf from Michigan, DJ Burks from Appalachian State and Isaiah Hardge from Colorado. He also returns starters Ty Redmond and Edrees Farooq from a year ago.
