The Tennessee Vols’ 2025 season is now over. After an up and down year, UT’s season ended on a down note in a 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl.

At 8-5, the Vols took a moderate step back from last year, when the program made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Tennessee played seven FBS teams who did not have winning records and one FCS team. The Vols beat all eight of them. They faced five teams who had winning records. They lost all of them.

It’s a season that had some up moments, with the 22-year losing streak at Florida finally ending. The Vols also defeated Arkansas (not something that happens every day) while also finally competing with the Georgia Bulldogs in a 44-41 overtime loss that the Vols would have won if Max Gilbert had knocked through a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. There were certainly some good things.

However, there was plenty of bad, including a dreadful 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt that saw the Vols’ defense get shredded for 582 yards. Allowing Oklahoma to reach 33 on the scoreboard was also an ugly, season-altering moment.

That being said, the team will use this loss as a springboard to a better 2026. At least those were the words of Josh Heupel during his postgame press conference.

Josh Heupel says that team will get better and stronger in the offseason and promises they’ll be “ready to roll” in the 2026 season

“Obviously, everybody is disappointed, but this has got be something that you take with you through the offseason and help use it as motivation and give us a chance to get better and stronger, and we’ll be back ready to roll in twenty-six. I can promise you that.”

Like many programs across the country, Tennessee’s roster is a relative unknown going into the offseason. The transfer portal will give and will take away. While Tennessee does have an impressive recruiting class recently signed and coming in next year, what Heupel and his staff are able to pull off in adding veteran talent in the portal will go a very long way into making his promise come true next fall.

So, if he believes what he’s saying, he must have a good bit of faith that he’s going to be successful in landing some proven talent this offseason, particularly on defense and at quarterback.

We’ll find out in the weeks ahead how successful he is in adding that talent. But, for now, the rollercoaster ride of 2025 has reached its final stop.

Tennessee Volunteers News

Tennessee Vols defensive lineman enters NCAA transfer portal after loss in the Music City Bowl

The Tennessee Vols dropped a tough game to the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Music City Bowl.

Zach Ragan