University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Hold Final Preseason Camp Scrimmage, Turn Attention To Mock Game Week
August 22, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football held its second and final scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday in Neyland Stadium, and the Volunteers now turn their attention to mock game week.
Tennessee scrimmaged for nearly two hours and utilized crowd noise. Much of the scrimmage was focused on specific situations and yardage.
"There were a lot of mechanics and communication things that we did well," said head coach Josh Heupel. "Some things, offensively in particular, you learn throughout the course of it and got to continue to get better at that but, all in all, good work. I thought defensively we did a good job, created a couple turnovers and played assignment sound."
Sophomore George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon continue to battle it out for the starting quarterback job with two weeks until kickoff, and the evaluation continues said Heupel.
"You evaluate where they're at, who's earned it and what you think is best holistically for that position group in the buildup and in the football team."
Heupel praised the work and leadership of returning receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. The duo has put together an outstanding camp after bursting onto the scene last year. The two combined for 121 catches for 1,650 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago.
Defensively, Jim Knowles' unit has stepped up in the absence of injured safety Edrees Farooq with newcomers TJ Metcalf and Dejuan Lane taking the lead.
"I think they've handled it extremely well," said Heupel. "They've continued to progress and obviously, certainly, Edrees (Farooq) is a great player, a great leader. This game requires the next guy to step up. That room has continued to grow."
The Vols will be off Sunday before beginning their mock game week on Monday.
Tennessee begins its 130th season against Furman on Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
August 22, 2026
Opening statement…
"Good second scrimmage. (Did) a bunch of situational work. Crowd noise like you're on the road. A lot of mechanics and communication things that we did well. Some things, offensively in particular, you learn throughout the course of it and got to continue to get better at that but, all in all, good work. I thought defensively we did a good job, created a couple turnovers and played assignment sound. I think offensively we didn't play as clean as we need to. Some of that was communication but some other positive things there too."
On how the quarterbacks progressed from scrimmage one to scrimmage two…
"Throughout the course of the last week since scrimmage one, I thought they did a really good job taking care of the football, handling decision making, controlling what we're doing offensively. Today, there were some real positives, some things that they're going to learn from too, so excited to go back and watch the tape here with them."
On how to make the decision on when to let them know who the starter will be…
"You evaluate where they're at, who's earned it and what you think is best holistically for that position group in the buildup and in the football team."
On if there's an advantage to naming a starting quarterback before game week…
"I don't know if there's any advantage necessarily. Time on task, timing with the wide receivers, tight ends, that type of thing can be an advantage. Those guys have both gotten a bunch of work with that first group."
On if naming a starting quarterback sooner matters from a reps standpoint …
"I think it's different every single year. At the end of the day, you look at where they're at, where we're at and what's best for the football team."
On his assessment of the line of scrimmage play during the scrimmage…
"Some positives on both sides of it. During the course of it, I thought the d-line was able to apply some pressure throughout the course of the scrimmage. Some of that was the protection, some of it was where we're at in the protection at quarterback as well. Offensively, I thought there were some things that were really good in the run game. Not as consistent as you need to be. There were live parts of the scrimmage and then some thud plays as well."
On if the team is where he wants them to be after the second scrimmage…
"I feel like there's some real positives, some young guys I want to go back and watch the tape. That can be offensively, defensively, special teams and see how they performed today. I could give you a great answer on that holistically as a football team, they've strained, they've competed, they've practiced hard. I think we have grown tremendously throughout the course of training camp in our fundamentals, our technique, but we've got two weeks left. We need to continue to grown on that side of it."
On if more players caught his eye in scrimmage two versus scrimmage one…
"I don't know that I would say more. I thought our young players here over the last week certainly took a step in all three phases of the game. I thought that there were some really bright instances, plays during the course of the scrimmage from some young guys but certainly want to go back and watch the tape."
On his evaluation of the defense stopping the run game…
"I think they have been really solid throughout the course of training camp. Today, I thought they were really solid too."
On the adjustments the safeties have made…
"Assignment sound, communication, I think they've handled it extremely well. They've continued to progress and obviously, certainly, Edrees (Farooq) is a great player, a great leader. This game requires the next guy to step up. That room has continued to grow."
On how the wide receivers looked…
"Obviously, Mike (Matthews) and Braylon (Staley) have been really consistent throughout the course of training camp. Have played a lot of football a year ago but have continued to grow. (Radarious Jackson), (TK Keys), Travis Smith Jr., those guys have flashed here over the last week and flashed some today too. We got a couple more weeks, want to see those guys continue to take positive steps."
On getting guys from flashing to being more consistent…
"Every rep, every opportunity, every competitive situation that you're in allows you to continue to grow. It's not just scrimmage setting or playing on game day."
On how he managed scrimmage two compared to scrimmage one…
"There may have been a couple guys that we had a very specific play count at certain positions. But kind of having a general play count of what we wanted to get as a football team and by group and we were pretty close to that."
On the quarterbacks' success throwing the deep ball this preseason…
"I feel like over the course of the two scrimmages, it's been really positive. During the course of practice, it's been extremely positive. Today, we were able to hit a couple of them. All parts of it have to be tied together, too. The route, coverage, and then the protection piece of it too."
On the identity of the defense that has developed under Jim Knowles…
"Certainly a personality. Aggressive nature. Multiple in what we're doing. One of the great positives to Jim is the ability within the side of his scheme, to be able to take advantage of the skill sets in guys that are ready to play and call it to their traits. You can see that in some of our packages."
On the tackling and physicality up to this point in preseason camp…
"In all, pleased. Not just today, but I think over the course of this training camp. Fundamentally, technically, ultimately getting guys on the ground. Our defense in particular, but even some of our offensive guys that have been on special teams, have really continued to grow throughout the course of it. You're never perfect, in particular out in space, but I feel like we've grown in a really positive way. Need to continue to do that in smart ways here over the next two weeks, too."
On evaluating the quarterbacks' rushing ability in a scrimmage setting…
"No, they're not live. They're protected in that way, but you can see their ability to manipulate and work in the pocket. You can see their ball security in the pocket, out of the pocket. Extended plays, you get a chance to see their decision making down the field. If it's not open, their ability to tuck it and gain positive yards and put you in the right situations. So, it's not realistic in gameday as far as the tackle being made, but you can see all those other things before you get to gameday."
On the quarterbacks' performance pre-snap during the scrimmage…
"Throughout the course of training camp, have continued to get better at that. Today was not our best day. That's not just the quarterback. Some moving pieces, offensive line, wide receivers, all that. We still have ground that we have to continue to chew up here before we get to kickoff."
Tennessee scrimmaged for nearly two hours and utilized crowd noise. Much of the scrimmage was focused on specific situations and yardage.
"There were a lot of mechanics and communication things that we did well," said head coach Josh Heupel. "Some things, offensively in particular, you learn throughout the course of it and got to continue to get better at that but, all in all, good work. I thought defensively we did a good job, created a couple turnovers and played assignment sound."
Sophomore George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon continue to battle it out for the starting quarterback job with two weeks until kickoff, and the evaluation continues said Heupel.
"You evaluate where they're at, who's earned it and what you think is best holistically for that position group in the buildup and in the football team."
Heupel praised the work and leadership of returning receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. The duo has put together an outstanding camp after bursting onto the scene last year. The two combined for 121 catches for 1,650 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago.
Defensively, Jim Knowles' unit has stepped up in the absence of injured safety Edrees Farooq with newcomers TJ Metcalf and Dejuan Lane taking the lead.
"I think they've handled it extremely well," said Heupel. "They've continued to progress and obviously, certainly, Edrees (Farooq) is a great player, a great leader. This game requires the next guy to step up. That room has continued to grow."
The Vols will be off Sunday before beginning their mock game week on Monday.
Tennessee begins its 130th season against Furman on Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
August 22, 2026
Opening statement…
"Good second scrimmage. (Did) a bunch of situational work. Crowd noise like you're on the road. A lot of mechanics and communication things that we did well. Some things, offensively in particular, you learn throughout the course of it and got to continue to get better at that but, all in all, good work. I thought defensively we did a good job, created a couple turnovers and played assignment sound. I think offensively we didn't play as clean as we need to. Some of that was communication but some other positive things there too."
On how the quarterbacks progressed from scrimmage one to scrimmage two…
"Throughout the course of the last week since scrimmage one, I thought they did a really good job taking care of the football, handling decision making, controlling what we're doing offensively. Today, there were some real positives, some things that they're going to learn from too, so excited to go back and watch the tape here with them."
On how to make the decision on when to let them know who the starter will be…
"You evaluate where they're at, who's earned it and what you think is best holistically for that position group in the buildup and in the football team."
On if there's an advantage to naming a starting quarterback before game week…
"I don't know if there's any advantage necessarily. Time on task, timing with the wide receivers, tight ends, that type of thing can be an advantage. Those guys have both gotten a bunch of work with that first group."
On if naming a starting quarterback sooner matters from a reps standpoint …
"I think it's different every single year. At the end of the day, you look at where they're at, where we're at and what's best for the football team."
On his assessment of the line of scrimmage play during the scrimmage…
"Some positives on both sides of it. During the course of it, I thought the d-line was able to apply some pressure throughout the course of the scrimmage. Some of that was the protection, some of it was where we're at in the protection at quarterback as well. Offensively, I thought there were some things that were really good in the run game. Not as consistent as you need to be. There were live parts of the scrimmage and then some thud plays as well."
On if the team is where he wants them to be after the second scrimmage…
"I feel like there's some real positives, some young guys I want to go back and watch the tape. That can be offensively, defensively, special teams and see how they performed today. I could give you a great answer on that holistically as a football team, they've strained, they've competed, they've practiced hard. I think we have grown tremendously throughout the course of training camp in our fundamentals, our technique, but we've got two weeks left. We need to continue to grown on that side of it."
On if more players caught his eye in scrimmage two versus scrimmage one…
"I don't know that I would say more. I thought our young players here over the last week certainly took a step in all three phases of the game. I thought that there were some really bright instances, plays during the course of the scrimmage from some young guys but certainly want to go back and watch the tape."
On his evaluation of the defense stopping the run game…
"I think they have been really solid throughout the course of training camp. Today, I thought they were really solid too."
On the adjustments the safeties have made…
"Assignment sound, communication, I think they've handled it extremely well. They've continued to progress and obviously, certainly, Edrees (Farooq) is a great player, a great leader. This game requires the next guy to step up. That room has continued to grow."
On how the wide receivers looked…
"Obviously, Mike (Matthews) and Braylon (Staley) have been really consistent throughout the course of training camp. Have played a lot of football a year ago but have continued to grow. (Radarious Jackson), (TK Keys), Travis Smith Jr., those guys have flashed here over the last week and flashed some today too. We got a couple more weeks, want to see those guys continue to take positive steps."
On getting guys from flashing to being more consistent…
"Every rep, every opportunity, every competitive situation that you're in allows you to continue to grow. It's not just scrimmage setting or playing on game day."
On how he managed scrimmage two compared to scrimmage one…
"There may have been a couple guys that we had a very specific play count at certain positions. But kind of having a general play count of what we wanted to get as a football team and by group and we were pretty close to that."
On the quarterbacks' success throwing the deep ball this preseason…
"I feel like over the course of the two scrimmages, it's been really positive. During the course of practice, it's been extremely positive. Today, we were able to hit a couple of them. All parts of it have to be tied together, too. The route, coverage, and then the protection piece of it too."
On the identity of the defense that has developed under Jim Knowles…
"Certainly a personality. Aggressive nature. Multiple in what we're doing. One of the great positives to Jim is the ability within the side of his scheme, to be able to take advantage of the skill sets in guys that are ready to play and call it to their traits. You can see that in some of our packages."
On the tackling and physicality up to this point in preseason camp…
"In all, pleased. Not just today, but I think over the course of this training camp. Fundamentally, technically, ultimately getting guys on the ground. Our defense in particular, but even some of our offensive guys that have been on special teams, have really continued to grow throughout the course of it. You're never perfect, in particular out in space, but I feel like we've grown in a really positive way. Need to continue to do that in smart ways here over the next two weeks, too."
On evaluating the quarterbacks' rushing ability in a scrimmage setting…
"No, they're not live. They're protected in that way, but you can see their ability to manipulate and work in the pocket. You can see their ball security in the pocket, out of the pocket. Extended plays, you get a chance to see their decision making down the field. If it's not open, their ability to tuck it and gain positive yards and put you in the right situations. So, it's not realistic in gameday as far as the tackle being made, but you can see all those other things before you get to gameday."
On the quarterbacks' performance pre-snap during the scrimmage…
"Throughout the course of training camp, have continued to get better at that. Today was not our best day. That's not just the quarterback. Some moving pieces, offensive line, wide receivers, all that. We still have ground that we have to continue to chew up here before we get to kickoff."
Players Mentioned
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