Vols Open Spring Football Practice
(utsports.com) The sixth spring of the Josh Heupel era of Tennessee football has arrived, and the Volunteers kicked things off with their first workout in helmets and shorts on Monday morning inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center.
Monday was the first of 15 practices for Tennessee, which culminates with the free-admission Orange & White Game on April 11 in Neyland Stadium. The Vols returned from spring break and will practice four times this week, while welcoming high school and middle school coaches to campus for the annual Coaches Clinic this weekend.
Tennessee’s 2026 squad has a drastically different look to it since the Vols last took the field in the Music City Bowl in December. Heupel brought on Indiana national champion director of football sports performance Derek Owings to oversee the UT’s strength and conditioning, speed and nutrition efforts. National champion defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, formerly of Ohio State and Penn State, was hired along with three additional assistants who coached beside him — co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter (Penn State), LEOs/outside linebackers coach Andrew Jackson (Penn State) and cornerbacks coach Derek Jones (Duke).
In addition, a total of 46 new players have joined the roster, including 22 portal transfers and 24 high school early enrollees. The group shined in the Vols’ winter offseason program under Owings, making considerable gains in strength and speed.
“I think it comes down to the accountability in everything that you’re doing every single day,” Heupel said of the offseason program. “The mental side of how you approach everything, the accountability piece. Every rep, every single day parlays itself into how you need to play when get to Saturdays in the fall. It has to be in the structure of what you’re doing every single day.”
Knowles observed bowl practices in December, but Monday was his first official practice as acting defensive coordinator. The 38-year college football veteran has coordinated defenses at Penn State (2025), Ohio State (2022-24), Oklahoma State (2018-21), Duke (2011-17) and West Michigan (1997-2002).
“I think the flexibility of what he’s able to do schematically, to put guys in position, his ability to understand strengths and weaknesses based on matchups, and be able to subtly tweak how he’s playing things is important,” Heupel said. “It could be with his front, could be with his coverage — that’s all in his wheelhouse. One of the things just in our conversations — and I know this, having been a coordinator and had to go somewhere else too — I think a big part of your players picking it up as quickly as they can, is having guys in your staff room that understand your scheme, what you’re trying to implement and the why behind it.”
That process has been expedited with three of his main assistants having coached in his system along with multiple analysts. Four players transferred from Penn State to join the Vols’ defense, including 2025 leading tackler linebacker Amare Campbell (103), edge rusher Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and safety Dejuan Lane.
Meanwhile for Heupel, he begins a sixth season after compiling the winningest five-year stretch at Tennessee in over two decades. The 45 victories under his watch represented the most by the Vols since winning 47 from 2000-04.
