Spring camps across the country are in the books. Now, summer workouts are on deck before teams reconvene for fall camp ahead of the 2026 college football season.
For Tennessee football, it’s still tough to fully predict what the season will look like. However, That SEC Podcast went through the 16-team SEC to update its power rankings across the conference. Host Michael Bratton listed the Vols as the No. 6 team. This is behind Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. It’s notably ahead of LSU, Alabama and Florida.
A key reason Bratton has UT this high is the experience on offense. However, an unproven quarterback taking the reins of the offense keeps Tennessee from climbing any higher.
“This could be the most experienced offense around the quarterback that Josh Heupl has had at Tennessee,” Bratton said. “The problem? This is by far the least experienced quarterback Josh Heupel is ever going to work behind in I think his entire coaching career, not just Tennessee. It’s a little bit of a dichotomy there.
“Very experienced offensive line. Receivers, solid. Running back, very good. I think this is going to be the best pair of tight ends that Tennessee has fielded. But what if they don’t have a quarterback? Then it’s going to be a damn nightmare.”
SEC Football Power Rankings Post-Spring pic.twitter.com/N5bEck515o
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) April 27, 2026
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Defensively, Bratton also likes what the Vols bring to the table. He focused on the personnel UT has, particularly the deep linebacker room, but a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles should also bring a needed change on that side of the ball.
“The defense I think has a lot of potential,” Bratton said. “I think this could be the best linebacker crew, potentially, in the SEC. Arion Carter is back, Jeremiah Telander is back, Edwin Spillman is back. They got Amare Campbell from Penn State, who apparently has been tearing it up this spring. A lot of good options at linebacker.
“Rodney Garner, I think he’s the best defensive line coach in the SEC. He’s always got his defensive line ready to play. I like what they have in the secondary, as well. I think Tennessee’s defense, I don’t think they’re going to be one of the best overnight in the SEC, but I think they’ll be from one of the worst to at worst, I think they’ll be middle of the pack this year.”
Tennessee opens the season on Sept. 5 in Neyland Stadium against Furman. Then, its first test is against Georgia Tech in Atlanta the following Saturday. The first SEC matchup is set for Sept. 26 at home against Texas.
