Tennessee Football is hurdling towards summer programming after wrapping up the spring camp slate last month with the Orange & White spring game. Before we know it, the Vols will be on the field for preseason training camp in August before the 2026 season gets underway in early September.
It’s been a busy few months for Josh Heupel’s program. The Vols made notable staff changes following the 2025 season, which included multiple changes to the defensive coaching staff and the addition of Derek Owings as the head strength coach. Tennessee parted ways with former defensive coordinator Tim Banks in favor of Penn State’s Jim Knowles, who brought in Anthony Poindexter, AJ Jackson, and Derek Jones to fill out his defensive staff. Owings comes to Tennessee from Indiana and has already made a massive impact in just a few months.
From a roster perspective, Tennessee added a Top 10 high school recruiting class into the mix, featuring notable names such as Faizon Brandon, TK Keys, Gabriel Osenda, and Brayden Rouse. The Vols also added a number of transfer portal pieces, including former Penn State players Amare Campbell, Dejuan Lane, and Xavier Gilliam.
There are still a number of questions left to be answered, such as with Tennessee’s quarterback battle and the new-look defense that the Vols will put out on the field this fall. Spring camp was the first step in that equation, and fall camp will be the next big step.
On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy released a new early bowl season projections list on Wednesday morning. This is his second early projection after releasing the first one back in February. His projection for Tennessee remains unchanged from his original prediction.
McMurphy has Tennessee heading to the Sunshine State for its bowl game. He’s got Tennessee playing against SMU in the Gator Bowl from Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The 2025 Gator Bowl saw No. 20 Virginia (10-2, 7-1 ACC) defeat No. 25 Missouri (8-4, 4-4 SEC) by a score of 13-7.
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Tennessee has played in the Gator Bowl twice in the last 12 years. The Vols punked Iowa by a score of 45-29 to close the 2014 season and then narrowly defeated Indiana 23-22 to end the 2019 season. The Indiana win, though, was vacated by the NCAA in 2023.
The SMU Mustangs finished the 2025 season at the fifth spot in the ACC standings with a 9-4 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference play. The Mustangs only had two ranked matchups throughout the season, but won both games. SMU defeated No. 10 Miami in overtime in early November and then beat No. 17 Arizona in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl in early January.
Tennessee is 2-3 in bowl games during Josh Heupel’s five years in Knoxville, including the College Football Playoff in 2024. The Vols have wins in the Orange Bowl and the Citrus Bowl, but have gone 0-2 in the Music City Bowl. Here’s a look at Tennessee’s postseason history under Heupel:
- 2021 – Music City Bowl – Purdue 48, Tennessee 45
- 2022 – Orange Bowl – Tennessee 31, Clemson 14
- 2023 – Citrus Bowl – Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
- 2024 – College Football Playoffs, First Round – Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17
- 2025 – Music City Bowl – Illinois 30, Tennessee 28
The 2026 season will be the first year of the expanded nine-game SEC schedule for the conference’s 16 teams. Tennessee will have five home SEC games and four road SEC games this fall. Based on 2025 win-loss totals, Tennessee has the 20th toughest schedule in the nation and the 11th toughest schedule in the SEC this fall. That’s obviously an imperfect measuring stick, but it does give a rough idea of what Tennessee is walking into this fall. One interesting note about the Vols’ schedule is that Tennessee will face four SEC teams with new head coaches, including Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, and LSU.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football coverage.
Check out Brett McMurphy’s full early bowl projections list here.
