Big Orange Report March 5, 2026

 

Spring Drills Are Crucial

The Volunteer football staff and players will begin spring training after taking next week off for the annual spring break from school. This will be a very important 15 days and will culminate with the Orange-White scrimmage in early April. While the quarterback competition will be watched closely, perhaps the most crucial and important work will be done on the defensive side of the ball. The "face lift" on defense which includes new coaches and an ample amount of portal transfers is going to be paramount to what happens late summer when the football season gets underway.

Keys to keep an eye on during spring drills will be the re-vamped secondary where only one returning player will figure into the mix. The front seven on defense will also be under the microscope as the staff looks for some size and power at the tackles and athletic pass rushers off the edge.

The 2026 campaign is going to be critical for head coach Josh Heupel. The 8-5 record and a loss to Illinois in the bowl game has left some media types and Big Orange fans questioning Heupel's ability to produce a consistent winner. Before he came to Knoxville, Heupel's work at Central Florida deteriorated each season, going from 12-1 to 6-4. After making the college football playoffs in 2024, the decline just deflated the fan base considerably. Of course it must be noted that he did revive a program that was staggering through multiple coaching changes and over half a decade in the football wilderness.

The Good News

The No. 1 ranked Tennessee softball squad remains unbeaten after rolling through an invitational tournament in Knoxville. The SoftVols are now 19-0 and were only tested by a good Penn State team in the event over the weekend. Ace Karlyn Pickens wrapped things up on Sunday by twirling a three hitter that included striking out 15 Appalachian State batters.

Leadoff hitter Sophia Knight is the total package. She is hitting a blistering .550, has 10 stolen bases and cover a lot of ground on defense in centerfield. The team is displaying some power at the plate as well with Ella Dodge pacing the offense with six home runs in the early going.

The conference testing will begin this weekend when nationally ranked LSU visits Rocky Top. UT has one more tuneup with Belmont before the Tigers come calling. The Sunday finale will be televised on the SEC network at 1 p.m.

Tennessee's baseball squad has rebounded from a sluggish start by taking two of three games in the Amegy Bank Classic in Arlington, Texas. After dropping the opener to No. 1 ranked UCLA; the Vols defeated Arizona State and Virginia Tech. Head coach Josh Elander is still tinkering with his lineups and pitching rotations but will take an 8-3 record into midweek contests against mid-major competition.

Forgettable Weekend for Hoop

Both the men and women's basketball squads lost games over the weekend after enjoying halftime leads. For Rick Barnes, it was a return to the curse of the second half again, as the Vols blew a double-digit lead late for the fifth time this season in conference play. There is also concern about the physical condition of star freshman Nate Ament who took a nasty fall in the first half, tried to play in the second half, but had to leave the game after just a couple of minutes on the floor.

As of Sunday, Joe Lunardi had the Volunteers as a five seed in this year's NCAA tournament. If UT can win the last two regular season games and make a run in the SEC tournament, the team could probably jump up to the four line which would be huge for sure.

The Lady Vols put up a stubborn battle against No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday before losing. Tennessee actually had a six-point lead at intermission. Coach Kim Caldwell and her squad are now preparing for the conference tournament. At this writing it appears they will get one bye and play on Thursday evening on the SEC network. UT is the sixth seed and will play the winner of the Alabama vs. Missouri game at 7:30.  Charlie Creme has Tennessee projected to be a seven seed in the NCAA tournament this year.

Vol Notes

Tennessee has other spring sports teams ranked nationally. The women's golf squad is at No. 22, the men are listed at No. 18 and the women's tennis team sits at No. 14 in the latest polls. 

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