Tennessee football is set to embark on its first season with Jim Knowles leading the Vols’ defense. In the transfer portal, Knowles added four players from his past stop, Penn State, to help ease the transition. This featured linebacker Amare Campbell, edge rusher Chaz Coleman, safety Dejuan Lane and defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam.
While each is poised to make a big impact, Campbell may be the most important addition. That’s because he was so integral to running Knowles’ defense on the field a year ago in Happy Valley. Now, he can help teach it to his UT teammates.
“Amare was the quarterback of the defense for us last year, so he knows the system inside and out,” Knowles said. “He has things he has to get better at, his tackling in open space. We’ve been able to study those things to start to give him an advantage to get better. That’s already a strong room, right? The linebacker room is really strong.”
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Knowles has already seen the impact of having a player like Campbell on his roster. As he was still trying to get his system in place, they were going through some adjustments.
Despite Campbell not being on the field, he saw a situation where the linebacker didn’t make the correct check. He jumped to Knowles and asked if he wanted him to step in to do it right.
Knowles knew it was important to get it wrong in those early stages of practice to learn. He loved seeing his linebacker step up, though.
“So, just an example, like pre-practice when we’re going through some adjustments and things that we may not see against our offense, you gotta kinda throw some things in there throughout spring that you’re not seeing against the offense cause you know they’re coming,” Knowles said. “And we faced a situation. Amare wasn’t in there. He was standing back with me, and the linebacker that was in there didn’t get the check right. Amare’s like, ‘Hey, man, you want me to get in there and do it for him?’ I was like, ‘You gotta let them learn.’ But he could see it happening and understands what the check needed to be. So that’s a big advantage.”
Campbell joins a stacked linebacker room for the 2026 season. Tennessee boasts returners Arion Carter, Edwin Spillman, Jadon Perlotte, Jeremiah Telander, Jordan Burns and Jaedon Harmon. Along with Campbell through the portal, it also brings in two highly-ranked freshmen, Brayden Rouse and TJ White.
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I’m not expecting 12 & 0 or 11 & 1. Not even 10 & 2. But lets not say it won’t happen either. We have a new Strength and Conditioning coach which will help both sides of the ball and especially with theball important K & D lines. O line to give out QB more time to know what he needs to do. A second or more time makes forbless sacks. Loss of yards. More time to pick the more open receiver. But also help our RBs have goid to great runs. The D line to go after the other teams QBs. Stop RBs. Less time for the other QBs to decide. Get more sacks.
As to our QBs. Did we expect Hooker to do what he did based on his background. Yes, hooker had some exprience. One of the two will be our likely starter. MacIntyre or Brandon. It would not be the first time in College football history start with little to no experience and lead a team to a pretty good season. I am glad most expecting maybe 8 & 4. But i think we may surprise people. We have Bama at home. We won the last two at home. I can maybe see a 10 & 2 or better season. I’m not saying for sure it will be 10 & 2. I am seeing that possibility.