Without ado, 26 notes, tidbits and interesting trivia for the 2026 football season that is soon upon us.
1. Tennessee faces four head coaches new at their schools: Alex Golesh at Auburn; Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas; Will Stein at Kentucky; and – hold the mustard – well-traveled Lane Kiffin at Louisiana State University.
2. Only two SEC coaches have longer tenures than Josh Heupel. Kirby Smart begins his 11th year at Georgia. Off the top of my head, I wouldn’t have guessed the other: Eli Drinkwitz at Mizzou.
3, Three opposing head coaches are former Vol staffers – Golesh, Kiffin and Kennesaw State’s Jerry Mack.
4. Mack led Kennesaw to a 10-4 record in his first season. That landed him the Paul “Bear” Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year Award.
5. Neither
Florida nor Georgia are on the schedule for the first time since 1987. Price of expansion.
6. Furman, Tennessee’s opening opponent, won the FCS national title in 1988.
7. Who’s the Real UT? Texas and Tennessee meet for only the fourth time and the first outside of a New Year’s Day Cotton Bowl (1951, 1953, 1969).
8. Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is no stranger. Muschamp was 7-2 against the Vols as head coach at Florida and South Carolina, and 2-0 as Georgia defensive coordinator.
9. UT should notch its 900th win. The count stands at 894 on-the-field wins. Which is the legit figure, it says here. The official NCAA number is 11 less due to Jeremy Pruitt-era forfeits.
10. Some say the Vols won’t miss suspended linebacker Arion Carter at Georgia Tech on Sept. 12. I’m not so sure. I still remember the Jackets rushing for an opponent-record 535 yards against UT in 2017.
11. Peyton Manning and Casey Clausen eventually flourished as freshmen quarterbacks. But the only times UT relied on freshmen opening day were 2004 (Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer) and 2024 (Nico Iamaleava).
12. I’d say freshman Faizon Brandon will be a factor. If so, he continues a legacy of North Carolina quarterbacks – Heath Shuler, Hendon Hooker, Johnathan Crompton, Jimmy Streater.
13. UT’s roster includes 23 states and six foreign athletes. That includes 34 from Tennessee and 24 from Georgia.
14. Lineman Gage Ginther could become the first letterman from Colorado.
15. The only Kentuckian is transfer kicker Cooper Ranvier.
16. Trivia question: The only Kentuckian VFL to earn first-team All-SEC? D-lineman John Wagster, 1972.
17. Transfer tight end Drake Martinez is on his fifth school.
18. The most experienced players on the roster are guard Wendell Moe, kicker Josh Turbyville and transfer defensive back DJ Burks, 40 games apiece.
19. Transfer defensive back TJ Metcalf recorded seven tackles for Arkansas in a 2024 win over the Vols.
20. Welcome to VFL Jayson Swain, who debuts as Vol Network analyst.
21. Farewell to Teresa Walker, a UT grad from Blount County, who is retiring this fall as the Associated Press’s lead state sports reporter.
22. I’m glad to see the Pac-12 back in business.
23. Ever hear of the Mannelly Award? It honors the nation’s outstanding long-snapper. UT’s Bennett Brady made the preseason watch list.
24. ESPN ranked 100 significant games in college football history. The Vols got two mentions: winning the first BCS title game in 1998; and serving as Herschel Walker’s introduction in 1980.
25. One UT record I know won’t be broken this year. Dennis Rogan will remain the only non-offense player to lead the team in all-purpose yards (2008).
26. Circle Oct. 3. Tennessee has lost seven of its past eight games against Auburn.
Mike Strange is a former writer for the News Sentinel. He currently writes a sports column for Shopper News.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 26 things to know before Tennessee kicks off the 2026 season | Opinion
