‘The vibes just seem off in Knoxville' – National outlet hits the Tennessee Vols with a big warning ahead of the 2026 season
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Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols are looking to bounce back in 2026 after going 8-5 last season. The Vols reached the College Football Playoff in 2024, so the ceiling is high for the program.
There isn’t much hype surrounding the Tennessee Vols this offseason thanks mostly to the way the program sputtered to the finish line last year.
The Vols dropped their final two games of the season — a blowout loss at home to Vanderbilt and a loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl — to finish with an 8-5 record.
Tennessee’s five losses are the most for the Vols since 2021, which was Josh Heupel’s first season as UT’s head coach.
CBS Sports boldy predicts that Tennessee will “slip” in year six under Josh Heupel
CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello made “bold predictions” this week for each team in the SEC.
Marcello predicted that Tennessee will “slip” in year six under Heupel. He also suggested that the vibes in Knoxville “seem off”.
“Tennessee has too many questions and unknowns to be considered an SEC contender next season,” wrote Marcello. “In fact, the Vols seem primed for a fall from the norm this season with a record hovering near .500. It all starts at quarterback, where the Vols have issues after Joey Aguilar’s legal request for an additional year of eligibility failed and then whiffed on Sam Leavitt, leaving Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre battling for a wide-open job.
“The defense, particularly the secondary, was praised in the spring, but let’s remember the defense was a mess last season. And newly hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is an elite coach, but it usually takes two years for his system to take root in a program. Perhaps Tennessee’s offense is sliding? The vibes just seem off in Knoxville.”
There’s no doubt that Tennessee has plenty of question marks entering the 2026 season. Who will start at quarterback? Will the Vols get enough production from the quarterback position? How will the defense fare in Jim Knowles’ first year as defensive coordinator? Will the changes in the strength and conditioning program show up on the field?
Those are real questions that we can’t answer just yet. So it’s fair to be skeptical about Tennessee football in 2026 (though that’s true for a lot of programs).
What I don’t think is fair, though, is suggesting that the vibes seem off in Knoxville. If anything, I think the vibes are high around the program right now. Everyone seems re-energized and ready to make a statement after things didn’t go Tennessee’s way in 2025.
There may not be a lot of optimism outside of the program, but the Vols are quite confident on the inside.
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