HoleInTheRoof
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He who wins them ultimately will win it
Tennessee’s quarterback battle won’t be decided until after the second scrimmage of the preseason in August, but the next couple of months will go a long way in determining who the starting quarterback will be.
Why? Because it’s about what they show their teammates the next few weeks. Heupel has routinely said that the quarterback has to earn the job in front of their peers this summer and in fall camp.
“I think it’s important that they (the team) see that guy growing as a player, playing at a high level,” head coach Josh Heupel explained. “And certainly within the locker room, typically, there’s a feel from those guys, by the time you get to that point where a guy’s earned it, that this is the right guy.”
The next three months at the quarterback position will largely dictate how this season will go. Does someone win it and run in the job or does Tennessee have to spend the first part of the season figuring things out?
Heupel isn’t interested in playing a rotation of quarterbacks. He would like for someone to run with the job and for it to be clear who gives his offense the best chance to succeed.
Highly touted Chaz Coleman has been in the building this spring, but he missed a large portion of spring practice as he battles through personal things.
Coleman has been around his teammates some but he hasn’t been in the trenches working with them.
“He’s dealing with some things and has to work through those things. When he’s able to do that, then he will be back with us,” Heupel said at the Big Orange Caravan.
When will that be is the million dollar question. Coleman can’t just show up in August thinking he’s ready to go. He has to physically develop and he needs to be on the grind with his teammates.
Tennessee went through a mess last year with Boo Carter’s summer disappearance. Coleman’s reasoning for not being around is very different than Carter’s as the two situations are not the same, but the one similarity is that, like Carter last July, Coleman hasn’t put in the same effort that his teammates have to this point and he has to this summer.
Heupel simply can not let same scenario play out this summer with Coleman as he did last summer with Carter.
The question is, will Coleman return to work in the next two weeks?
Tennessee’s offensive line returns a lot of experience, and frankly, there’s no reason for them not to be a good front. They are talented and they appear to be set across the board with David Sanders at left tackle, Wendall Moe at left guard, Sam Pendleton at center, Jesse Perry at right guard and Ory Williams, the LSU transfer, at right tackle.
Sanders’ flip to left tackle has been silky smooth. And Williams played well this spring at right tackle. Tennessee is comfortable with Perry in multiple spots as he is clearly one of their best five.
Pendleton is clearly ahead of redshirt freshman center Nic Moore.
Moore is more physical/stronger than Pendleton, but with a young quarterback, it’s hard to see Moore really pushing Pendleton for the starting spot, but that is what the summer is for. It’s to push each other. Can Moore push over the next two and a half months? It’s a potential storyline. However, assuming Pendleton starts, Tennessee is foolish if they don’t rotate Moore in some this season. One, Moore is talented enough to play and two, Tennessee has to keep him engaged as they think about 2027.
Maybe the better question is, how many backs will De’Rail Sims play in terms of a rotation? I think it would be a mistake to rotate every series to start a game like he did a year ago in a three-man rotation. To me, no one benefitted from it.
So, the question now is how deep is the rotation at tailback and who is the first back to rotate in behind DeSean Bishop?
There is good competition there. Daune Morris came on the end of last year and has some unique traits with elite speed and ability in space. He is continuing to grow with his physicality and running between the tackles. That growth must continue.
Tulane transfer Javin Gordon has experience on big stages and against good competition. Gordon has proven he belongs at this level. He’s still learning the ins and outs of the offense, which is why it’s a big summer for him, as it is for Morris’ physically.
Both will play this fall, but the question is, how much? The summer production will go a long ways in determining that and that’s fine with the running back room.
“I knew I would have to compete day in and day out. That’s something I wanted to do. I wanted to go to a place where the best are and a place where I have to compete everyday. I don’t want to anything given to me. I want to earn it,” Gordon said.
Kitselman was solid but didn’t have a great final year as he battle injury and some drops. Van Dorselaer played plenty of snaps as he grew on the job and was set to be the second tight end this fall. He would have played a ton had he chosen to stay.
So, on the surface it looks like a big step back at that position, but the talent at the tight end spot is good if they can stay healthy.
Ethan Davis can play. He’s not just a receiver playing tight end. He has grown physically and in his mentality to want to play physically.
DaSaahn Brame is a crazy good athlete who simply didn’t play enough a year ago. He should be a weapon for this offense in the passing game as he continues to grow as an in-line tight end.
Trent Thomas is the most underrated transfer Tennessee got back in January. The South Alabama transfer was a priority target for the Vols and Alec Abeln during the portal season.
“I turned on the Auburn game and the dude dominated the C-gap,” Abeln said. “And just with what was in the room already, what was coming back, knew that for us to be successful, first and foremost, needed a guy that felt really good about in that area.”
Tennessee signee Luca Wolf is not expected to be a major contributor this fall, but Wolf impressed in the spring with his knowledge of the game and where he is physically as a freshman. He will provide depth to the room as a first-year player.
If that room can stay healthy, the tight end position can be a position with real weapons for a young quarterback.
Most of the talk in the spring was about the improvement at the safety position and it’s a position that’s definitely improved. There was discussion about who the corner is opposite of Ty Redmond. The one area that didn’t get as much talk is the nickel position because it was locked down from day one.
Qua Moss was a priority target for Tennessee when he entered the portal out of Kansas State. In fact, he was the Vols first portal visitor and portal take.
Tennessee had to fix the nickel or star position. It was a mess in 2026. The whole Boo Carter thing was a disaster and the defensive staff just had no answer there.
They do now. Moss was really good in the spring. He’s experienced and knows how to play the position. He can cover. He can play in the box in run support.
Tennessee will be as good with Moss there as they have been at that position in a while.
Now the question is, who will back him up? That is a priority find for Jim Knowles and Anthony Poindexter in August.
I can’t take credit for this one. I gotta give it to Austin Price. He has been saying for months that the key to this team is the play of the sophomores on the roster and he’s exactly right. Tennessee is young. They have 46 new players, and they have to have help from those newcomers, but the group that has to go for this team is the sophomores.
On the defensive line — Ethan Utley, Isaiah Campbell, and Mariyon Dye have to take real steps forward. At linebacker, it’s redshirt sophomore Edwin Spillman and sophomore Jadon Perlotte. On the offensive line, David Sanders and redshirt sophomore Jesse Perry are vital.
Sophomores Radarious Jackson, Travis Smith, Ty Redmond, DaSaahn Brame, Daune Morris, Dylan Lewis, Tre Poteat, and Tim Merritt are all guys who need to take real steps in their second year.
Some of those guys played a lot last year. Some played some key roles. Some played sparingly. This fall, they are going to be counted on much more and how those players develop this summer will dictate how they play this fall.
How they play this fall will dictate how successful this team is in 2026.
Tennessee has to find a pass rush and Jordan Norman is the most experienced pass-rusher on the defensive line. Xavier Gilliam took this headlines in the spring, and rightfully so, as he found plenty of success in the defensive interior – especially as a pass-rusher.
But Norman had a really good spring as well. The question is, how does Jim Knowles want to use him? Is he a true defensive end or is he a rush edge who they could get to drop 10-15 pounds to be more of a speed-end? Does he stay at 270 pounds? That will be an interesting decision.
Regardless of what the staff has him at weight wise, given where Tennessee is at defensive end and the unknown of Chaz Coleman, Norman’s work this summer is vital for the defensive this fall.
Next week is big check week for the SEC as they gather on the sands of Destin to announce another record breaking year in revenue.
The question is, do they accomplish anything next week on Florida’s gulf coast? This league has a habit of “kicking the can” down the road on topics to discuss them at a later date, which is why it took years to decide on a ninth conference game.
They really can’t do that this year on the college football playoffs.
The SEC is the last holdout on a 24-team format. Or should we say commissioner Greg Sankey and ESPN are the last ones. The coaches in this league want a 24-team. Athletic Directors, like Tennessee’s Danny White, have said they want a 24-team postseason. Sankey doesn’t. Can Sankey convince his league that a 12-team is better? Or does the commissioner go the direction of those he works for want to go?
It’s THE topic of the spring meetings in Destrin for the SEC.
There are other storylines, including basketweaving, easy majors and the suspended social media account of Lane Kiffin.
But all those topics, as well as the football calendar and the future of spring practice, are secondary to the college football playoff as the SEC continues to react to the rest of college football’s Power 4 leagues.
Tennessee’s quarterback battle won’t be decided until after the second scrimmage of the preseason in August, but the next couple of months will go a long way in determining who the starting quarterback will be.
Why? Because it’s about what they show their teammates the next few weeks. Heupel has routinely said that the quarterback has to earn the job in front of their peers this summer and in fall camp.
“I think it’s important that they (the team) see that guy growing as a player, playing at a high level,” head coach Josh Heupel explained. “And certainly within the locker room, typically, there’s a feel from those guys, by the time you get to that point where a guy’s earned it, that this is the right guy.”
The next three months at the quarterback position will largely dictate how this season will go. Does someone win it and run in the job or does Tennessee have to spend the first part of the season figuring things out?
Heupel isn’t interested in playing a rotation of quarterbacks. He would like for someone to run with the job and for it to be clear who gives his offense the best chance to succeed.
Will he or won’t he?
Highly touted Chaz Coleman has been in the building this spring, but he missed a large portion of spring practice as he battles through personal things.
Coleman has been around his teammates some but he hasn’t been in the trenches working with them.
“He’s dealing with some things and has to work through those things. When he’s able to do that, then he will be back with us,” Heupel said at the Big Orange Caravan.
When will that be is the million dollar question. Coleman can’t just show up in August thinking he’s ready to go. He has to physically develop and he needs to be on the grind with his teammates.
Tennessee went through a mess last year with Boo Carter’s summer disappearance. Coleman’s reasoning for not being around is very different than Carter’s as the two situations are not the same, but the one similarity is that, like Carter last July, Coleman hasn’t put in the same effort that his teammates have to this point and he has to this summer.
Heupel simply can not let same scenario play out this summer with Coleman as he did last summer with Carter.
The question is, will Coleman return to work in the next two weeks?
Is there competition at center or is the OL set?
Tennessee’s offensive line returns a lot of experience, and frankly, there’s no reason for them not to be a good front. They are talented and they appear to be set across the board with David Sanders at left tackle, Wendall Moe at left guard, Sam Pendleton at center, Jesse Perry at right guard and Ory Williams, the LSU transfer, at right tackle.
Sanders’ flip to left tackle has been silky smooth. And Williams played well this spring at right tackle. Tennessee is comfortable with Perry in multiple spots as he is clearly one of their best five.
Pendleton is clearly ahead of redshirt freshman center Nic Moore.
Moore is more physical/stronger than Pendleton, but with a young quarterback, it’s hard to see Moore really pushing Pendleton for the starting spot, but that is what the summer is for. It’s to push each other. Can Moore push over the next two and a half months? It’s a potential storyline. However, assuming Pendleton starts, Tennessee is foolish if they don’t rotate Moore in some this season. One, Moore is talented enough to play and two, Tennessee has to keep him engaged as they think about 2027.
Which tailback sans DeSean Bishop wins the summer?
Maybe the better question is, how many backs will De’Rail Sims play in terms of a rotation? I think it would be a mistake to rotate every series to start a game like he did a year ago in a three-man rotation. To me, no one benefitted from it.
So, the question now is how deep is the rotation at tailback and who is the first back to rotate in behind DeSean Bishop?
There is good competition there. Daune Morris came on the end of last year and has some unique traits with elite speed and ability in space. He is continuing to grow with his physicality and running between the tackles. That growth must continue.
Tulane transfer Javin Gordon has experience on big stages and against good competition. Gordon has proven he belongs at this level. He’s still learning the ins and outs of the offense, which is why it’s a big summer for him, as it is for Morris’ physically.
Both will play this fall, but the question is, how much? The summer production will go a long ways in determining that and that’s fine with the running back room.
“I knew I would have to compete day in and day out. That’s something I wanted to do. I wanted to go to a place where the best are and a place where I have to compete everyday. I don’t want to anything given to me. I want to earn it,” Gordon said.
There won’t be a drop off at tight end
Tennessee lost Miles Kitselman to graduation and Jack Van Dorselaer to the transfer portal.Kitselman was solid but didn’t have a great final year as he battle injury and some drops. Van Dorselaer played plenty of snaps as he grew on the job and was set to be the second tight end this fall. He would have played a ton had he chosen to stay.
So, on the surface it looks like a big step back at that position, but the talent at the tight end spot is good if they can stay healthy.
Ethan Davis can play. He’s not just a receiver playing tight end. He has grown physically and in his mentality to want to play physically.
DaSaahn Brame is a crazy good athlete who simply didn’t play enough a year ago. He should be a weapon for this offense in the passing game as he continues to grow as an in-line tight end.
Trent Thomas is the most underrated transfer Tennessee got back in January. The South Alabama transfer was a priority target for the Vols and Alec Abeln during the portal season.
“I turned on the Auburn game and the dude dominated the C-gap,” Abeln said. “And just with what was in the room already, what was coming back, knew that for us to be successful, first and foremost, needed a guy that felt really good about in that area.”
Tennessee signee Luca Wolf is not expected to be a major contributor this fall, but Wolf impressed in the spring with his knowledge of the game and where he is physically as a freshman. He will provide depth to the room as a first-year player.
If that room can stay healthy, the tight end position can be a position with real weapons for a young quarterback.
Qua Moss is the biggest reason the secondary will be improved
Most of the talk in the spring was about the improvement at the safety position and it’s a position that’s definitely improved. There was discussion about who the corner is opposite of Ty Redmond. The one area that didn’t get as much talk is the nickel position because it was locked down from day one.
Qua Moss was a priority target for Tennessee when he entered the portal out of Kansas State. In fact, he was the Vols first portal visitor and portal take.
Tennessee had to fix the nickel or star position. It was a mess in 2026. The whole Boo Carter thing was a disaster and the defensive staff just had no answer there.
They do now. Moss was really good in the spring. He’s experienced and knows how to play the position. He can cover. He can play in the box in run support.
Tennessee will be as good with Moss there as they have been at that position in a while.
Now the question is, who will back him up? That is a priority find for Jim Knowles and Anthony Poindexter in August.
For this team’s success it’s about the sophomores
I can’t take credit for this one. I gotta give it to Austin Price. He has been saying for months that the key to this team is the play of the sophomores on the roster and he’s exactly right. Tennessee is young. They have 46 new players, and they have to have help from those newcomers, but the group that has to go for this team is the sophomores.
On the defensive line — Ethan Utley, Isaiah Campbell, and Mariyon Dye have to take real steps forward. At linebacker, it’s redshirt sophomore Edwin Spillman and sophomore Jadon Perlotte. On the offensive line, David Sanders and redshirt sophomore Jesse Perry are vital.
Sophomores Radarious Jackson, Travis Smith, Ty Redmond, DaSaahn Brame, Daune Morris, Dylan Lewis, Tre Poteat, and Tim Merritt are all guys who need to take real steps in their second year.
Some of those guys played a lot last year. Some played some key roles. Some played sparingly. This fall, they are going to be counted on much more and how those players develop this summer will dictate how they play this fall.
How they play this fall will dictate how successful this team is in 2026.
Jordan Norman might be the most important defensive lineman
Tennessee has to find a pass rush and Jordan Norman is the most experienced pass-rusher on the defensive line. Xavier Gilliam took this headlines in the spring, and rightfully so, as he found plenty of success in the defensive interior – especially as a pass-rusher.
But Norman had a really good spring as well. The question is, how does Jim Knowles want to use him? Is he a true defensive end or is he a rush edge who they could get to drop 10-15 pounds to be more of a speed-end? Does he stay at 270 pounds? That will be an interesting decision.
Regardless of what the staff has him at weight wise, given where Tennessee is at defensive end and the unknown of Chaz Coleman, Norman’s work this summer is vital for the defensive this fall.
SEC Update
Next week is big check week for the SEC as they gather on the sands of Destin to announce another record breaking year in revenue.
The question is, do they accomplish anything next week on Florida’s gulf coast? This league has a habit of “kicking the can” down the road on topics to discuss them at a later date, which is why it took years to decide on a ninth conference game.
They really can’t do that this year on the college football playoffs.
The SEC is the last holdout on a 24-team format. Or should we say commissioner Greg Sankey and ESPN are the last ones. The coaches in this league want a 24-team. Athletic Directors, like Tennessee’s Danny White, have said they want a 24-team postseason. Sankey doesn’t. Can Sankey convince his league that a 12-team is better? Or does the commissioner go the direction of those he works for want to go?
It’s THE topic of the spring meetings in Destrin for the SEC.
There are other storylines, including basketweaving, easy majors and the suspended social media account of Lane Kiffin.
But all those topics, as well as the football calendar and the future of spring practice, are secondary to the college football playoff as the SEC continues to react to the rest of college football’s Power 4 leagues.
