Tennessee football enters the second half of the 2026 season with a dominant defense, an inadequate offense and a 5-1 record.
Despite underperforming in SEC wins, the 14th-ranked Vols
(5-1, 2-1 SEC) earned mostly good grades in the first half of the season. But the tests get much tougher from here, beginning with a rivalry game against No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 3-1) on Oct. 17 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Neyland Stadium.The midseason report card goes like this. Offense gets a C, mostly one-sided as a productive rushing team. Defense gets an A with a strong start under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Special teams gets a B.
Here are our midseason grades for each Tennessee position group.
Quarterbacks: C-
Faizon Brandon was good in nonconference games and bad
in SEC games, albeit injured in the latter. George MacIntyre was solid in his first career start against Arkansas.
The stat sheet says UT quarterbacks have been solid, completing 63% of their passes for 1,119 yards, nine TDs and three interceptions. And Brandon has rushed for 130 yards and three TDs.
But the position is in flux. The passing game has been limited against SEC defenses. Brandon looked out of sorts before being benched in the Auburn game. And both young quarterbacks are going through growing pains.
UT ranks 11th in the SEC in passer rating as a team and last in passing offense. Granted, this grade probably seems high. But it is greatly inflated by nonconference performances, which is fair since that makes up half the schedule so far.
Running backs: A-
DeSean Bishop ranks seventh nationally in rushing yards (678) and sixth in yards-after-contact (465), according to Pro Football Focus. UT likely would've lost to Auburn and Arkansas without Bishop’s 358 yards and four TDs in those two games.
Daune Morris has been a nice change-of-pace back with 332 yards rushing and five receptions out of the backfield.
Offensive line: C-
This is a mixed bag. UT has the SEC’s second-best rushing offense (228.3 ypg) and second-worst pass protection (17 sacks allowed). Running backs can take some credit for the first and quarterbacks take some blame for the second.
There’s also an imbalance among positions. Both tackles have performed well. Left tackle David Sanders has the fourth-best pass blocking grade in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. Right tackle Jesse Perry has the fourth-best run blocking grade in the SEC.
But the interior offensive line has been a weak link, and that began even before guards Wendell Moe and Sham Umarov suffered injuries.
Wide receivers: C+
It’s hard to get a full picture because of limitations at quarterbacks. Mike Matthews is quietly having a strong season with 22 catches for 396 yards and three TDs. His 18 yards-per-catch average ranks third in the SEC, and almost half his yards (191) have come after the catch.
Braylon Staley leads the team with 24 catches, but he hasn’t been maximized amid the quarterback changes and offensive issues. Radarious Jackson’s one catch for 2 yards against Auburn is the only reception by a wide receiver other than Matthews and Staley in an SEC game.
Tight ends: C
This one is tricky because Ethan Davis contributes to this grade. He caught two TD passes before suffering a season-ending injury.
Trent Thomas has one TD catch. DaSaahn Brame is catching on with nine receptions for 130 yards, almost all of it in SEC games. They’ve been serviceable as blockers and relied upon heavily in formations with two tight ends.
Defensive line: A
UT leads the nation in sacks (25), mostly by defensive linemen (17). It ranks fourth nationally in tackles-for-loss (48), mostly by defensive linemen (29). And that doesn’t count Jeremiah Telander as a defensive lineman, who divides his snaps between edge rusher and linebacker.
Xavier Gilliam is on pace for an All-America season. He has the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any interior defensive lineman in the nation. He’s third nationally in tackles-for-loss (10), leads the SEC in forced fumbles (2) and has five sacks.
Tyree Weathersby (4.5) and Mariyon Dye (4) aren’t far behind in sacks. Daevin Hobbs, Nathan Robinson, Carson Gentle and Jordan Norman have contributed to the rotation.
Linebackers: A
Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in scoring defense (15.5 ppg). And it’s allowed only two TDs in each of its three SEC games. Every position contributes to that, but the linebackers own their fair share in guiding Knowles’ scheme.
Amare Campbell and Arion Carter lead the team with 38 tackles each. Campbell relays Knowles’ instructions to the defense. Carter has been a playmaker with two fumble recoveries. Telander has found a multi-faceted role as a run stopper, pass rusher and edge setter who also has an interception and two pass breakups.
Cornerbacks/Nickelbacks: A-
The secondary benefits from the nation’s most active pass rush, but it’s still held its own. UT leads the SEC in opponents’ pass rating, bolstered by a league-low 5.5 yards-per-attempt against the Vols.
Cornerback Ty Redmond leads the team with five pass breakups along with 24 tackles. Cornerback Kayin Lee and nickelback Tevis Metcalf have one interception each. Qua Moss has been active at nickelback with 21 tackles, including two for loss.
This group will be tested more in the second half of the season, and depth could become an issue. But so far, it’s hard to argue with these numbers.
Safeties: A-
Again, the safeties greatly benefit from the pass rush. But they’ve played very well, especially considering starter Edrees Farooq was lost to a season-ending injury.
UT ranks 10th nationally in pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. It ranks second in pass defense in the SEC (161.3 ppg).
Safeties have protected the back end from big plays. The Vols have allowed just two passes of 30 yards or more. Only three teams in college football have allowed fewer.
Dejuan Lane has two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, along with 3.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. TJ Metcalf has 32 tackles. They’ve already combined for 677 defensive snaps, so depth could become a problem.
Special teams: B
Cooper Ranvier is 6-for-7 on field goals and 25-for-25 on PATs.
Jackson Ross had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown against Georgia Tech, but he bounced back. Ross has averaged almost 46 yards per punt. Among his 24 punts, 15 were fair caught and 11 were downed inside the 20.
Moss returned a punt for a TD against Texas.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Adam Sparks' Tennessee football midseason grades for each position group
