Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
We continue our positivity series by spotlighting one underrated positive for each SEC team. Today, we head to Knoxville to focus on the Tennessee Volunteers football heading into the 2026 season.
The offensive help around the quarterback
It feels like the main talking point for 80-90 percent of the conversation about Tennessee this offseason has been about the starting quarterback. More importantly, the discussion has revolved around who will be the starter when Week 1 rolls around.
Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports, so that makes sense. But, what about the surrounding pieces to whomever is the signal caller?
Tennessee heads into this season with eight returning offensive starters. No one else in the SEC has more than six. That includes the starting running back DeSean Bishop and two really good wideouts in Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. Bishop was a 1,000 yard back a season ago in his first year as a starter. Both Matthews and Staley each had over 800 yards receiving a season ago, as well.
Mike Matthews, we have to work on the drops man… because the skill, whew 🔥
Look at #13, spinning top 😭 pic.twitter.com/s0LM897hp0
— Panthers Pulse (@PanthersPulze) May 8, 2026
Those are the skill positions. The offensive line? Even better.
The Vols return four starters on the offensive line with the only position fielding an unfamiliar face being right tackle. They should be in good shape there since the winner of that job will either be five star freshman Gabriel Osenda or LSU transfer Ory Wiliams. Both of those players are physical monsters measuring at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds.
Tennessee’s offense will never struggle with Josh Heupel at the helm. The Vols led the SEC in scoring a season ago with 39.8 ppg. They’ve also finished first or second in scoring offense in four of the last five seasons under Heupel. The same can be said for the yardage and production, as his offenses have finished in the top three in the league in four of his five seasons.
The biggest concern may not be the quarterback at all. It may be the drop off in the run game last season. The Vols finished first in the SEC in rushing offense in 2023 and 2024 but saw their per game production drop by over 50 ypg in 2025 when they dropped to eighth.
Four years ago today, the first explosion from a Josh Heupel offense occurred at Faurot Field.
The #Vols dominated Missouri 62-24.pic.twitter.com/SynBn5hZ0P
— Tucker Harlin (@TuckerHarlin) October 2, 2025
That should get back on track. Which leads us back to the original storyline that we’ve talked too much about this offseason – the quarterback. It’s unclear who will be the starter yet. But, the good news is that first year starters in Josh Heupel’s offenses have traditionally thrived regardless of their age or even school transferring from.
The last seven first year starting quarterbacks have had season averages of 262 pass ypg, 8.7 ypa and a total touchdown to interception ratio of 31-to-7.
That doesn’t mean a freshman, first year starter will automatically put up those numbers in 2026, but with the surrounding help the Vols will have offensively, it’s not the craziest thing that could happen. And, that is something we aren’t talking enough about going into the 2026 season.
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