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Tennessee Volunteers

SECKnoxville, TNNeyland Stadium

2026: 6–⁠1 (3–⁠1 SEC), No. 11 in the AP poll. Last: beat No. 6 Alabama 26–⁠10 at home. Next: at South Carolina, Saturday, Oct 24, 3:30 p.m. ET.

  1. W 56–⁠9Furman
  2. W 45–⁠24at Georgia Tech
  3. W 42–⁠9Kennesaw State
  4. L 17–⁠20No. 1 Texas
  5. W 24–⁠14Auburn
  6. W 24–⁠17at Arkansas
  7. W 26–⁠10No. 6 Alabama
  8. Oct 24at South Carolina
  9. Nov 7Kentucky
  10. Nov 14at Texas A&M
  11. Nov 21LSU
  12. Nov 28at Vanderbilt
  • Hosted College GameDay 13 times
  • Outfitted by Adidas
  • Live mascot: Smokey

Tennessee in the news

Tennessee has played football since 1891 and is 875–⁠406–⁠51 in the 1,332 games on record here, which start in 1902. Tennessee claims six national championships (1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998). The Volunteers have finished No. 1 in the final AP poll twice, most recently in 1998. They have won 13 Southeastern Conference titles (the last in 1998), plus two Southern Conference titles, one Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, counting shared titles. Since 1936, the NFL Draft has taken 243 players from here in its first seven rounds, 46 of them in the first round. The AFL draft also took two players from here. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 24 players and 4 coaches from Tennessee. Bob Neyland (1926–⁠1952) won more games here than any other coach: 173. The most-played rival is Kentucky: 120 meetings, Tennessee leads 85–⁠26–⁠9. This season, under Josh Heupel, they’re 6–⁠1.

Neyland Stadium in Knoxville

Played before the biggest crowd in college football history156,990

Neyland StadiumPhoto: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 2024No. 11 Tennessee beat No. 7 Alabama 24–⁠17 at home.

Résumé

All-time record
883–⁠421–⁠53 official; 875–⁠406–⁠51 on file; how we count
Postseason
33–⁠27 bowls, title games, playoff
AP No. 1 finishes
2
Weeks at No. 1
16 of 602 ranked
Elo now
1680 14th of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 11 · Composite No. 21 in FBS, Oct 17; up 4 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
1998 rated 1831
Conference titles
16 last in 1998
Bowl record
30–⁠25 official, bowls only
Seasons
123 since 1902, 1,332 games

Identity

Fight song
Down the Field (Official)
Mascot
Smokey
Student section
Rocky Top Rowdies

2026 season 6–⁠1

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsFurmanW 56–⁠989%
Sep 12atGeorgia TechW 45–⁠2450%
Sep 19vsKennesaw StateW 42–⁠978%
Sep 26vs1TexasL 17–⁠2047%
Oct 3vsAuburnW 24–⁠1468%
Oct 10atArkansasW 24–⁠1768%
Oct 17vs6AlabamaW 26–⁠1048%
Oct 24atSouth CarolinaPreview62%
Nov 7vsKentuckyPreview68%
Nov 14atTexas A&MPreview55%
Nov 21vsLSUPreview62%
Nov 28atVanderbiltPreview63%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Tennessee’s Elo through 2026: 1583 going into the opener, 1680 after the latest game; AP rank from No. 20 to unranked.15751600162516501675Elo 1583 going in; beat Furman 56–9; AP No. 20Elo 1591 going in; beat Georgia Tech 45–24; AP No. 18Elo 1622 going in; beat Kennesaw State 42–9; AP No. 15Elo 1636 going in; lost to Texas 20–17; AP No. 14Elo 1623 going in; beat Auburn 24–14; AP No. 17Elo 1637 going in; beat Arkansas 24–17; AP No. 15Elo 1650 going in; beat Alabama 26–10; AP No. 14Now: Elo 1680 after the latest game1680
20181514171514·
FurmanGeorgia TechKennesaw StateTexasAuburnArkansasAlabamaNow
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses. Numbers under the line: the AP rank going into each game, and in the newest poll (a dot: unranked).

Future schedule

2027–⁠31
20272 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20283 games: 2 home, 1 neutral, non-conference only
20293 games: 3 home, non-conference only
20303 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20311 game: 1 home, non-conference only

Tennessee’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of September 23, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Players

The 2026 rosterRecord bookThe money

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Tennessee.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Apparel
Adidas · Official source
Mascot
Smokey · Single source
Live mascot
Smokey (Bluetick Coonhound) · Single source
Student section
Rocky Top Rowdies · Official source
Offensive coordinator
Joey Halzle · Official source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Adidas, July 2026 through June 2036. 10 years, reported about $20M a year. Back with Adidas on a 10-year deal that includes NIL investment.

Before: Nike, July 2015 through June 2026; Adidas, 1995 through June 2015.

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.

Program strength since 1902

Best seasons ever
Tennessee end-of-season Elo from 1902 to 2026, best in 1998 at 1831.13001500170019001920194019601980200020201998 peak: Elo 1831
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team. Filled dots: finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

On Bluesky

From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.

More coverage

Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.

Podcasts

Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Josh Heupel2021–⁠202651–⁠21
Jeremy Pruitt2018–⁠202016–⁠19
Brady Hoke20170–⁠2
Butch Jones2013–⁠201734–⁠27
Jim Chaney20121–⁠0
Derek Dooley2010–⁠201215–⁠21
Lane Kiffin20097–⁠6
Phillip Fulmer1992–⁠2008151–⁠52–⁠1
Johnny Majors1977–⁠1992116–⁠62–⁠8
Bill Battle1970–⁠197659–⁠22–⁠2
Doug Dickey1964–⁠196946–⁠15–⁠4
Jim McDonald19635–⁠5
Bowden Wyatt1955–⁠196249–⁠29–⁠4
Harvey Robinson1953–⁠195410–⁠10–⁠1
Bob Neyland1926–⁠1952173–⁠31–⁠12
John Barnhill1941–⁠194532–⁠5–⁠2
W.H. Britton19354–⁠5
Mark Banks1921–⁠192527–⁠15–⁠3
John Bender1916–⁠192018–⁠5–⁠4
Zora Clevenger1911–⁠191526–⁠15–⁠2
Alex Stone19103–⁠5–⁠1
George Levene1907–⁠190915–⁠10–⁠3
J.D. DePree1905–⁠19064–⁠11–⁠3
S.D. Crawford19043–⁠5–⁠1
H.E. Fisher1902–⁠190310–⁠7

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesTENN record
Kentucky12085–⁠26–⁠9 ‡
Vanderbilt11779–⁠33–⁠5 ‡
Alabama10841–⁠60–⁠6 †
Ole Miss6644–⁠20–⁠1 †
Florida5523–⁠32
Auburn5423–⁠28–⁠3
Georgia5422–⁠30–⁠2
Mississippi State4830–⁠16–⁠1 †

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.

Rivals the program names: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Georgia Tech.

Every opponent (153)

Every program Tennessee has played, A to Z, with Tennessee’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

16, counting shared titles
Southeastern Conference 13
1938, 1939 (shared), 1940, 1946 (shared), 1951 (shared), 1956, 1967, 1969, 1985, 1989 (shared), 1990, 1997, 1998
Southern Conference 2
1927 (shared), 1932 (shared)
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1
1914 (shared)
SEC East 6
1997, 1998, 2001, 2003 (tied), 2004, 2007 (tied)

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1891–⁠1895
  2. SIAA 1896–⁠1916 and 1919–⁠1921
  3. SEC 1933–⁠1942 and since 1944
  • 1932Joined the SEC from the SoCon. Source

Tennessee’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2022Jalin Hyatt WRBiletnikoff
2009Eric Berry SSThorpe
2004Michael Muñoz OTCampbell Trophy
2000John Henderson DTOutland
1998Phillip Fulmer coachEddie Robinson
1998David Cutcliffe coachBroyles Award
1997Peyton Manning QBMaxwell, Davey O’Brien, Unitas Golden Arm, Campbell Trophy
1964Steve DeLong MGOutland

Consensus All-Americans 40

2022Jalin Hyatt WR
2016Derek Barnett DL
2015Evan Berry APB
2009Eric Berry DB
2008Eric Berry DB
2003Dustin Colquitt P
2001John Henderson DT
2000John Henderson DT
1999Cosey Coleman OG
1999Deon Grant S
1998Al Wilson LB
1997Peyton Manning QB
1991Dale Carter DB
1990Antone Davis OT
1989Eric Still OG
1985Tim McGee WR
1984Bill Mayo OG
1983Reggie White DT
1979Roland James DB
1976Larry Seivers WR
1975Larry Seivers WR
1971Bobby Majors DB
1970Chip Kell C/OG
1969Chip Kell C/OG
1969Steve Kiner LB
1968Charles Rosenfelder OG
1968Steve Kiner LB
1967Bob Johnson C
1966Paul Naumoff LB
1965Frank Emanuel LB
1956Johnny Majors RB
1952John Michels OG
1951Hank Lauricella RB
1946Dick Huffman OT
1940Bob Suffridge OG
1939Ed Molinski OG
1939George Cafego RB
1938Bowden Wyatt E
1933Beattie Feathers RB
1929Gene McEver RB

Led the nation 8

2024Dont’e Thornton yards per catch (25.4)
2022Dee Williams punt return average (18.7)
2015Evan Berry kickoff return average (38.3)
1993Charlie Garner yards per carry (7.3)
1990Dale Carter kickoff return average (29.8)
1966Dewey Warren passer rating (142.2)
1951Bill Blackstock punt return average (25.9)
1941Walt Slater punt return average (20.4)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
2022Hendon Hooker QB5th
1997Peyton Manning QB2nd
1993Heath Shuler QB2nd
1956Johnny Majors RB2nd
1951Hank Lauricella RB2nd
1939George Cafego RB4th

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
24
Coaches
4
2025John Henderson DT
2023Eric Berry SS
2020Al Wilson LB
2017Peyton Manning QB
2012Phillip Fulmer coach here, 1992–⁠2008
2006Chip Kell C/OG
2004Frank Emanuel LB
2003Doug Dickey coach here, 1964–⁠1969
2002Reggie White DT
1999Steve Kiner LB
1997Bowden Wyatt coach here, 1955–⁠1962
1996John Michels OG
1993Steve DeLong MG
1990Ed Molinski OG
1989Bob Johnson C
1987Joe Steffy OG
1987Johnny Majors RB
1985Doug Atkins OT
1981Hank Lauricella RB
1972Bowden Wyatt E
1969George Cafego RB
1967Nathan Dougherty OG
1961Bob Suffridge OG
1959Bobby Dodd QB
1959Herman Hickman OG
1956Robert Neyland coach, career 1926–⁠1952
1955Beattie Feathers RB
1954Gene McEver RB

In the draft

By college
NFL picks, rounds 1–⁠7
243 since 1936
First-round picks
46
AFL picks
2 1962, 1964
2025James Pearce Jr. DENo. 26, Atlanta Falcons
2023Darnell Wright OTNo. 10, Chicago Bears
2017Derek Barnett DENo. 14, Philadelphia Eagles
2014Ja’Wuan James OTNo. 19, Miami Dolphins
2013Cordarrelle Patterson WRNo. 29, Minnesota Vikings
2010Eric Berry SNo. 5, Kansas City Chiefs
2010Dan Williams DTNo. 26, Arizona Cardinals
2009Robert Ayers DENo. 18, Denver Broncos

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

The University of Tennessee–Knoxville
Enrollment
38,728 30,564 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Knoxville, Tennessee
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1794
Graduates’ median earnings
$60,249 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @Vol_FootballInstagram @vol_footballYouTube tennesseeathleticsFacebook VolFootball
Athletics department
X @Vol_sportsInstagram @vol_sportsYouTube tennesseeathletics

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones utsports.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.

Voices

play-by-play
  1. 1965–⁠99John Ward radio

With them: Bill Anderson (analyst, from 1968).

From the announcers’ Wikipedia articles (CC BY-SA), with the years as each article gives them: those in Wikipedia’s Tennessee football announcers category, and any whose article names them the program’s play-by-play voice. Television network crews and announcers whose articles give no years are left out.

On the newsreel

And 11 more

Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.

Books

And 21 more

Books: Open Library (CC0), filed under the program’s Library of Congress subject heading; most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.

Season by season

National champions

Shaded: national title seasons, No. 1 in the final AP poll or claimed by Tennessee (6 claimed).

SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20266–⁠13–⁠120Josh Heupel168016.7
20258–⁠54–⁠424Josh Heupel162515.0
202410–⁠36–⁠2159Josh Heupel169222.0
20239–⁠44–⁠41217Josh Heupel167416.2
202211–⁠26–⁠26Josh Heupel170925.2
20217–⁠64–⁠4Josh Heupel153817.5
20203–⁠73–⁠725Jeremy Pruitt14720.9
20198–⁠55–⁠3Jeremy Pruitt157610.8
20185–⁠72–⁠6Jeremy Pruitt14455.5
20174–⁠80–⁠825Butch Jones, Brady Hoke14441.2
20169–⁠44–⁠4922Butch Jones165116.3
20159–⁠45–⁠32522Butch Jones168319.5
20147–⁠63–⁠5Butch Jones158912.2
20135–⁠72–⁠6Butch Jones14815.1
20125–⁠71–⁠7Derek Dooley, Jim Chaney148215.1
20115–⁠71–⁠7Derek Dooley15026.9
20106–⁠73–⁠5Derek Dooley15517.7
20097–⁠64–⁠4Lane Kiffin158216.2
20085–⁠73–⁠518Phillip Fulmer155512.0
200710–⁠46–⁠21512Phillip Fulmer166720.2
20069–⁠45–⁠32325Phillip Fulmer164018.9
20055–⁠63–⁠53Phillip Fulmer157012.3
200410–⁠37–⁠11413Phillip Fulmer167716.1
200310–⁠36–⁠21215Phillip Fulmer165816.2
20028–⁠55–⁠35Phillip Fulmer162410.3
Every season back to 1902 (98 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
200111–⁠27–⁠184Phillip Fulmer173527.0
20008–⁠45–⁠312Phillip Fulmer166012.2
19999–⁠36–⁠229Phillip Fulmer176426.7
199813–⁠08–⁠0101Phillip Fulmer183125.5
199711–⁠27–⁠157Phillip Fulmer176928.0
199610–⁠27–⁠129Phillip Fulmer176521.4
199511–⁠17–⁠183Phillip Fulmer178124.6
19948–⁠45–⁠31322Phillip Fulmer170618.3
19939–⁠2–⁠16–⁠1–⁠11012Phillip Fulmer171928.5
19929–⁠35–⁠32112Phillip Fulmer, Johnny Majors170019.3
19919–⁠35–⁠21114Johnny Majors168319.2
19909–⁠2–⁠25–⁠1–⁠188Johnny Majors171121.9
198911–⁠16–⁠15Johnny Majors170821.9
19885–⁠63–⁠417Johnny Majors15580.5
198710–⁠2–⁠14–⁠1–⁠11714Johnny Majors167413.8
19867–⁠53–⁠310Johnny Majors16405.7
19859–⁠1–⁠25–⁠14Johnny Majors173724.1
19847–⁠4–⁠13–⁠3Johnny Majors162316.3
19839–⁠34–⁠2Johnny Majors164513.1
19826–⁠5–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Johnny Majors15364.0
19818–⁠43–⁠3Johnny Majors1556-3.7
19805–⁠63–⁠3Johnny Majors154311.8
19797–⁠53–⁠3Johnny Majors155414.1
19785–⁠5–⁠13–⁠3Johnny Majors15434.0
19774–⁠71–⁠5Johnny Majors14894.6
19766–⁠52–⁠4Bill Battle15735.4
19757–⁠53–⁠318Bill Battle157810.5
19747–⁠3–⁠22–⁠3–⁠11620Bill Battle164419.5
19738–⁠43–⁠3919Bill Battle16477.5
197210–⁠24–⁠2158Bill Battle176925.2
197110–⁠24–⁠289Bill Battle174818.1
197011–⁠14–⁠14Bill Battle177430.1
19699–⁠25–⁠11515Doug Dickey1716
19688–⁠2–⁠14–⁠1–⁠1913Doug Dickey1684
19679–⁠26–⁠092Doug Dickey1720
19668–⁠33–⁠210Doug Dickey1676
19658–⁠1–⁠22–⁠1–⁠27Doug Dickey1657
19644–⁠5–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Doug Dickey1478
19635–⁠53–⁠5Jim McDonald1538
19624–⁠62–⁠6Bowden Wyatt1532
19616–⁠44–⁠3Bowden Wyatt1598
19606–⁠2–⁠23–⁠2–⁠218Bowden Wyatt1570
19595–⁠4–⁠13–⁠4–⁠1Bowden Wyatt1491
19584–⁠64–⁠3Bowden Wyatt1494
19578–⁠34–⁠3513Bowden Wyatt1672
195610–⁠16–⁠0122Bowden Wyatt1712
19556–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Bowden Wyatt1554
19544–⁠61–⁠5Harvey Robinson1465
19536–⁠4–⁠13–⁠2–⁠117Harvey Robinson1608
19528–⁠2–⁠15–⁠0–⁠168Bob Neyland1712
195110–⁠15–⁠011Bob Neyland1776
195011–⁠14–⁠144Bob Neyland1741
19497–⁠2–⁠14–⁠1–⁠117Bob Neyland1632
19484–⁠4–⁠22–⁠3–⁠120Bob Neyland1556
19475–⁠52–⁠3Bob Neyland1569
19469–⁠25–⁠087Bob Neyland1657
19458–⁠13–⁠11814John Barnhill1676
19447–⁠1–⁠15–⁠0–⁠11512John Barnhill1680
19429–⁠1–⁠14–⁠1157John Barnhill1720
19418–⁠23–⁠118John Barnhill1691
194010–⁠15–⁠054Bob Neyland1739
193910–⁠16–⁠052Bob Neyland1741
193811–⁠07–⁠082Bob Neyland1762
19376–⁠3–⁠14–⁠3Bob Neyland1608
19366–⁠2–⁠23–⁠1–⁠217Bob Neyland1580
19354–⁠52–⁠3W.H. Britton1508
19348–⁠25–⁠1Bob Neyland1710
19337–⁠35–⁠2Bob Neyland1696
19329–⁠0–⁠17–⁠0–⁠1Bob Neyland1757
19319–⁠0–⁠16–⁠0–⁠1Bob Neyland1776
19309–⁠16–⁠1Bob Neyland1738
19299–⁠0–⁠16–⁠0–⁠1Bob Neyland1729
19289–⁠0–⁠16–⁠0–⁠1Bob Neyland1684
19278–⁠0–⁠15–⁠0–⁠1Bob Neyland1669
19268–⁠15–⁠1Bob Neyland1608
19255–⁠2–⁠12–⁠2–⁠1Mark Banks1501
19243–⁠50–⁠4Mark Banks1407
19235–⁠4–⁠14–⁠3Mark Banks1517
19228–⁠24–⁠2Mark Banks1596
19216–⁠2–⁠13–⁠1–⁠1Mark Banks1568
19207–⁠23–⁠2John Bender1536
19193–⁠3–⁠30–⁠3–⁠1John Bender1400
1918few games on file0–⁠11541
19168–⁠0–⁠14–⁠0–⁠1John Bender1640
19154–⁠40–⁠4Zora Clevenger1517
19149–⁠05–⁠0Zora Clevenger1626
19136–⁠31–⁠2Zora Clevenger1499
19124–⁠40–⁠3Zora Clevenger1409
19113–⁠4–⁠2Zora Clevenger1380
19103–⁠5–⁠11–⁠3Alex Stone1365
19091–⁠6–⁠20–⁠3George Levene1418
19087–⁠22–⁠2George Levene1568
19077–⁠2–⁠13–⁠1George Levene1507
19061–⁠6–⁠20–⁠2–⁠1J.D. DePree1306
19053–⁠5–⁠10–⁠2–⁠1J.D. DePree1395
19043–⁠5–⁠11–⁠2S.D. Crawford1436
19034–⁠50–⁠3H.E. Fisher1416
19026–⁠20–⁠2H.E. Fisher1508

Officially 883–⁠421–⁠53 since 1891 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 875–⁠406–⁠51 (−8 wins, −15 losses, −2 ties). Our file starts in 1902; the program began in 1891. Some games are missing from our source.

No season on file for 1917, 1943: wartime seasons, when many programs didn’t play.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.