Where the Tennessee Vols rank in ESPN's college football spring Top 25 rankings

The Tennessee Vols are working to take a big step forward in 2026 after a rough ending to their 2025 campaign.

Tennessee’s spring football work has come and gone, and there certainly was plenty to glean from it, including some new faces on the roster getting their first public looks as Volunteers.

The Vols might have a future standout in Tulane transfer RB Javin Gordon, who turned a handoff into a 62-yard touchdown in the Orange and White game. Auburn CB Kayin Lee was sticky in coverage last Saturday. Louisville kicker Cooper Ranvier was steady in his opportunities inside Neyland Stadium.

Now, attention will turn to the fall, where jobs will be won - most notably Tennessee’s ongoing two-headed quarterback competition - and Josh Heupel’s two-deep roster will take shape.

But before that, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach put out an updated spring football way-too-early Top 25 ranking, and Tennessee checked in at No. 25.

Tennessee Vols No. 25 in ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 ranking

“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,” Schlabach wrote. “The Vols ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring defense (28.8 points) and total defense (397.2 yards) last season. Campbell, Coleman, Gilliam and Lane followed Knowles to UT and should be impact players. A Tennessee judge denied Aguilar’s injunction for another year of eligibility. Heupel didn’t land a big-time quarterback in the transfer portal after pursuing Ty Simpson and Sam Leavitt. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon will battle for the job in the spring.”

Tennessee at 25 feels pretty fair. The Vols were a top 25 team last year heading into the final regular season game of the year against Vanderbilt. Of course, they fell on their faces terribly, losing 45-24 to the Commodores to end the regular season 8-4.

However, Heupel has made some major moves to improve the defensive side of the ball, with Knowles and a host of experienced transfer portal additions looking to improve what was a very disappointing unit from last year.

Much, as usual, will depend on how well either MacIntyre or Brandon takes the quarterback position and leads Heupel’s offense this fall. Right now, it’s still not clear who that will be - or whether either player will be able to match the high level that Joey Aguilar played at last year.

We’ll see in fall camp if either man can step up, take the job by the reins, and lead the Vols to a better season in 2026.