Tennessee Football Drops in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 After Spring Camp

The Vols fall one spot to No. 25 in the rankings as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 1:38pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting fragmented and overlapping images of a Tennessee football game or practice, with sharp planes of orange, white, and blue colors.Tennessee's quarterback competition and defensive overhaul are key storylines as the team looks to rebound in the 2026 season.Knoxville Today

Tennessee football's spring camp has concluded, and ESPN has updated its way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2026 season. The Volunteers have dropped one spot to No. 25 overall, placing them eighth in the SEC behind several conference powerhouses.

Why it matters

Tennessee is looking to rebound after a tough 2025 campaign, and the team's ranking in these early preseason polls will be closely watched as an indicator of expectations for the upcoming year. The Vols made some key coaching changes on defense, which will be a major focus as they aim to improve on last season's struggles.

The details

According to ESPN's Mark Schlabach, Tennessee fell from No. 24 to No. 25 in the updated rankings. The Vols trail several SEC rivals, including No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Oklahoma, and No. 16 Alabama. Schlabach noted that head coach Josh Heupel made a significant move on defense by firing coordinator Tim Banks and replacing him with former Ohio State coordinator Jim Knowles, who helped the Buckeyes win the 2024 national title. The Vols struggled mightily on defense last season, ranking 14th in the SEC in scoring defense and total defense.

  • Tennessee's spring camp concluded with the Orange and White Game on April 11, 2026.
  • ESPN released its updated way-too-early top 25 rankings on April 15, 2026.

The players

Josh Heupel

The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team.

Tim Banks

The former defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers football team.

Jim Knowles

The new defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers football team, who previously held the same position at Ohio State.

George MacIntyre

A redshirt freshman quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers football team who is competing for the starting job.

Faizon Brandon

A true freshman quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers football team who is competing for the starting job.

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What they’re saying

“'After a disappointing 2025 season, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel made a big move on defense by firing coordinator Tim Banks and replacing him with former Penn State coordinator Jim Knowles, who helped Ohio State win the 2024 national title. The Vols ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring defense (28.8 points) and total defense (397.2 yards) last season.'”

— Mark Schlabach, ESPN Analyst

“'I do love the growth from that group. I love the way that they competed with themselves, with each other, I love the way that they've grown every single day. Each of them maybe had a day where it was a little bit below what they had shown and their expectations, too. They responded and came back the next day and were a lot better. So, there's a lot of positives, a lot of things that they and we have to work on as a football team.'”

— Josh Heupel, Head Coach

What’s next

The quarterback battle between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon will continue through the summer and into fall camp, with no decision expected to be made until closer to the start of the season.

The takeaway

Tennessee's drop in the ESPN way-too-early rankings highlights the work the team has ahead to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign. The Vols' new-look defense under coordinator Jim Knowles will be a key focus as they aim to improve and climb back up the rankings ahead of the 2026 season.