SEC FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 13 OF 16
2026 Season Snapshot • Knoxville, Tennessee
8-5
SEC
Live schedule, lines and results for Tennessee.
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HEAD COACH
Josh Heupel — 6th season at Tennessee
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
55–20 (.733) as an FBS head coach
45 wins through five seasons at Tennessee (3rd-most in program history over that span), 11 wins over ranked opponents, three straight top-20 finishes, and the program's first CFP appearance (2024). An 8-5 2025 season was viewed as a step back and prompted his first major staff overhaul.
TENNESSEE ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 8-5, capped by a 28-30 bowl loss to Illinois on a late field goal. The defense collapsed under 5th-year DC Tim Banks amid injuries to top cornerbacks — a clear, specific reason Heupel fired his entire defensive staff this offseason.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$9.0M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Spyre Sports Group
Coach salary per Yahoo Sports' 2026 SEC coaching salary rankings (USA Today database). Spyre Sports Group was previously the subject of an NCAA NIL investigation tied to QB Nico Iamaleava's since-voided representation deal; Tennessee has not disclosed a team NIL figure.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Joey Halzle — 4th season • Veer and shoot
Heupel's own system, run through his hand-picked OC. Returns 4 of 5 offensive line starters plus its top two skill-position weapons (Bishop, Staley) — the most continuity Tennessee's offense has had entering a season under Heupel.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Jim Knowles — 1st season • Multiple, attacking
Co-DC Anthony Poindexter runs the secondary. Knowles was Ohio State's defensive coordinator on their 2024 national title team — one of the sport's premier defensive hires this cycle, brought in specifically to fix a unit that collapsed down the stretch in 2025.
2025 RECORD
8–5
Lost 28-30 to Illinois in the bowl game on a late field goal, capping a disappointing finish after preseason CFP expectations. Injuries to starting corners Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III contributed to the defensive collapse that triggered the staff overhaul.
HOME FIELD
Neyland Stadium
Natural grass, Knoxville. One of the largest and loudest stadiums in college football (100,000+ capacity) — a major home-field factor, especially for a true freshman QB's road-to-ready development.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Faizon Brandon | Fr | ★★★★★ | Five-star, No. 9 overall recruit in the 2026 class; all signs point to him winning the job over redshirt freshman George MacIntyre. Went 35-1 as a high school starter with 79 total TD passes. |
| RB1 | DeSean Bishop | Soph | ★★★★★ | Former walk-on turned second-team All-SEC performer; 1,076 yards, 5.9 ypc, 16 TD (tied 6th nationally) in 2025. One of the best backs in the conference. |
| WR1 | Braylon Staley | Soph | ★★★★★ | 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year: 68 catches, 837 yards, 6 TD. The clear top target for whoever wins the QB job. |
| WR2 | Mike Matthews | — | ★★★★★ | Returning starter opposite Staley, giving the new quarterback a proven receiving tandem. |
Five-star, No. 9 overall recruit in the 2026 class; all signs point to him winning the job over redshirt freshman George MacIntyre. Went 35-1 as a high school starter with 79 total TD passes.
Former walk-on turned second-team All-SEC performer; 1,076 yards, 5.9 ypc, 16 TD (tied 6th nationally) in 2025. One of the best backs in the conference.
2025 SEC Freshman of the Year: 68 catches, 837 yards, 6 TD. The clear top target for whoever wins the QB job.
Returning starter opposite Staley, giving the new quarterback a proven receiving tandem.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 of 5 starters return | OL | — | ★★★★★ | One of the most experienced lines in the SEC entering 2026 — a real asset for a true-freshman quarterback learning on the job. |
One of the most experienced lines in the SEC entering 2026 — a real asset for a true-freshman quarterback learning on the job.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front rebuilt under Knowles | DL | New defensive staff installing a new scheme; specific line starters were still being determined through fall camp after the coordinator change. |
New defensive staff installing a new scheme; specific line starters were still being determined through fall camp after the coordinator change.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Redmond | CB | ★★★★★ | Former three-star recruit thrown into the fire as a true freshman starter in 2025 after injuries to McCoy and Gibson; rewarded the staff with All-SEC and 247Sports True Freshman All- American honors (43 tackles, 11 PBU, 3 INT). |
| Kayin Lee | CB | ★★★★★ | Auburn transfer (three-star per 247Sports' portal rankings); a 24-game starter over the last two years at Auburn (1,560 snaps, 81 tackles, 17 PBU) projected to start opposite Redmond. |
Former three-star recruit thrown into the fire as a true freshman starter in 2025 after injuries to McCoy and Gibson; rewarded the staff with All-SEC and 247Sports True Freshman All- American honors (43 tackles, 11 PBU, 3 INT).
Auburn transfer (three-star per 247Sports' portal rankings); a 24-game starter over the last two years at Auburn (1,560 snaps, 81 tackles, 17 PBU) projected to start opposite Redmond.
Saved Just J research for Tennessee.
Heupel fired DC Tim Banks and two assistants after the defense fell apart in 2025, hiring Ohio State's 2024 title-winning DC Jim Knowles. A clean scheme change with real defensive-metric upside to track early.
Five-star Faizon Brandon (No. 9 overall recruit in 2026) is the presumptive Week 1 starter after Joey Aguilar's eligibility bid was denied — true-freshman-QB variance is real, even with a loaded supporting cast.
DeSean Bishop (1,076 yds, 16 TD in 2025) and SEC Freshman of the Year Braylon Staley (68 rec, 837 yds) both return, plus 4 of 5 offensive line starters — about as good a landing spot as a true freshman QB could ask for.
Rare continuity here (4 of 5 starters back) is a genuine positive offsetting the uncertainty of a true-freshman QB — one of the safer lines in this guide.
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