By SCOTT FELTS
The Vols closed spring practice on Saturday with a tight, defensive-minded scrimmage inside Neyland Stadium. Orange rallied late for a 13-10 win, but the main story was the quarterback battle and how no one separated themselves.
5 Positive Takeaways
• A few explosive plays got fans on their feet. Ryan Staub hit fifth year walk-on receiver Carson Whitehead for a 72-yard touchdown bomb on the first drive, and Javin Gordon broke loose for a 61-yard TD run late in the scrimmage.
• The kickers looked sharp. Louisville transfer Cooper Ranvier drilled field goals from 35, 45, 50, and 47 yards. Josh Turbyville was solid from shorter range and his only miss was from 50 yards.
• Gordon, an acquisition through the transfer portal from Tulane showed burst and vision, ripping off the game’s longest run and proving the diminutive back may be ready for a bigger role.
• Tight ends were heavily involved and productive. Ethan Davis, Cole Harrison, Trent Thomas, and Luca Wolf all saw targets throughout the day.
• Defense dominated the line of scrimmage. Multiple sacks, three-and-outs, and short fields forced the offense into tough spots all afternoon.
5 Negative Takeaways
• The offense stalled far too often. Nine total possessions produced just two touchdowns and two field goals.
• Quarterbacks took too many sacks, especially on third down, killing drives before they could develop.
• Red-zone execution was poor. Tennessee got inside the 20 multiple times but settled for just three points on those trips.
• Drops and missed opportunities hurt as several catchable balls hit the turf, including a would-be touchdown grab.
• No sustained drives. Most possessions were three-and-out or quick punts, showing the offensive unit still lacks rhythm and consistency.
Quarterback Breakdown
Here’s how each QB performed when leading their respective teams, counting punts, turnovers on downs, and scoring drives. I personally thought Staub’s experience at the position, even if not with this team and offense, showed with his presence and decision making. Is it a three way battle now? I’d still say no, but Staub certainly didn’t look lost out there.
- Ryan Staub: 5 drives: 3 punts, 1 TD drive (72-yard pass), 1 field goal drive. He started hot with the long bomb but cooled off with three straight three-and-outs or stalled possessions.
- George MacIntyre: 4 drives: 2 punts, 1 turnover on downs (failed 4th-and-3), 1 scoring drive (37-yard FG). He moved the ball well at times and showed mobility with a 14-yard run.
- Faizon Brandon: 4 drives: 2 punts, 1 turnover on downs (failed 4th-and-6), 1 scoring drive (61-yard TD). The freshman showed poise converting third downs and led the game-tying scoring drive, but also had an overthrow and a missed connection on his final drive. Not to mention most of the work on his scoring drive was done by Gordon on the run.
Overall, the new additions to the team seemed to shine more than the established players who fans will remember from last year’s roster. A big name missing however was Penn St transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, whose reported issues where mentioned in my preview.
After the game when asked about Coleman’s absence today and in other practices, Vols coach Josh Heupel said, “Ultimately Chaz is dealing with some things off the field and he’s got to handle that and go through that process. We’re here to help and support him in all of those ways and will continue to do that. But that’s ultimately the beginning part of his journey right now, some things he has to work through.”
Just as Tennessee needs one quarterback to separate himself for the offense to be its best, the Vol defense needs Coleman to work through the issues pulling him away from Knoxville and be the impact player they expected — and they paid for — come the fall after losing their top six players from last season in terms of QB pressures.
Wrapping up, the spring game painted a picture of a defense ahead of the offense, which showed big-play ability but had too many stalled drives. Newcomers are going to have an impact this season, good or bad. The QB competition between MacIntyre and Brandon remains wide open heading into the summer which is probably exactly what Heupel wanted to see. Most important, the Vols came away with no serious injuries.
The announced attendance was nearly 48,000 and for the most part, three quarters of the lower bowl was covered. The smaller crowd allowed attendees to spread out, not restricted to the usual seat confines at Neyland Stadium, which are made to comfortably fit about half a normal human being. … I know they weren’t scanning the pre-ordered free tickets at the gate I entered in, so my guess is the number came from those loose reservations; I got four tickets but only used two.
Look for some roundups of other SEC programs’ spring practices before I settle into 2026 opponent previews over the summer leading us back into another season on Rocky Top. I’ll be starting my 29th straight year of attending games in Neyland and my 170th consecutive home game attended.