KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The music was absent on the first day of Tennessee spring practice. That wasn’t an accident. When Josh Heupel stepped to the podium on March 16 following the Volunteers’ opening session of the 2026 spring slate, he explained the silence simply. “Today is day one of practice,” he said. “It’s about getting those guys used to and accustomed to the flow of it, what drills are coming next, the ability to communicate.” It was a telling metaphor for a program de

Knoxville, TN- A Penn State to Tennessee arc continues in 2026 for the Vols. On December 8, 2025, the University of Tennessee Athletics announced that it had parted ways with defensive coordinator Tim Banks. The decision comes after five seasons under Josh Heupel. Banks had a tenure that included remarkable highs, but ultimately ended amid a defensive regression for the 2025 season amid injuries, inconsistency, and fundamental breakdowns that ultimately forced Josh Heupel’s