A handful of college football teams have already begun spring practice as the 2026 season comes into focus. This includes Alabama, which began on Saturday, and Oklahoma, Texas, Florida State, Cincinnati, Houston and Oklahoma State, which begin today, according to a report from On3.
As far as Tennessee football, the Vols will begin a week from today. That means the first practice will be held on the morning of Monday, May 16.
Rocky Top Insider will have boots on the ground throughout spring camp. All videos, practice observations, press conferences and more can be found here and on our YouTube channel.
1️⃣ week until spring ball #GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/UZL3SIltDd
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) March 9, 2026
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Most notably, the start of spring practice marks the start of Tennessee’s quarterback battle. Redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre, true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub will all compete for the starting job.
Each of these options has been in Knoxville for winter workouts ahead of spring ball. They were also briefly joined by Joey Aguilar, who was granted a temporary restraining order that allowed him to participate with the team until his hearing. However, he ultimately was not granted a preliminary injunction and has turned his attention to the NFL.
Aguilar and a number of other NFL draft prospects from last season’s team will return to Knoxville for the team’s Pro Day, as well. That is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31. Typically, all 32 NFL teams send representatives.
The start of spring practice also marks the beginning of the Jim Knowles Era on defense. Josh Heupel fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks after the 2025 season and has since hired well-respected Knowles to take over the role. He has completed his staff and brought in a load of transfers.
More to follow: Tennessee women’s basketball
