Most media outlets don’t think the Tennessee Vols will make the College Football Playoff in 2026.

And while we have no idea how the season will play out — the transfer portal era has made it even more difficult to nail predictions — I don’t think it’s unfair to leave the Vols off playoff prediction lists.

Tennessee will be starting either a redshirt freshman or a true freshman at quarterback, and the program has a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles.

There are reasons for optimism, but there are also a lot of unknowns. The media is simply going with the programs that have fewer unknowns.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy says Tennessee is dangerous

ESPN’s Greg McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback, is actually high on Tennessee in 2026 despite the unknowns.

McElroy isn’t calling for the Vols to shock everyone and win it all, but he does think Tennessee is flying under the radar.

And a big reason why he says that is because he thinks the Vols’ offense can “find another gear” if true freshman Faizon Brandon wins the starting quarterback job.

“I do think there’s another gear to the offense that could be unleashed in the event that it’s Faizon Brandon,” said McElroy on SEC Network on Monday. “That’s how I think this competition is going to ultimately end up — I think Brandon’s probably going to end up being the guy. And it’s going to be a bit of a work in progress. This quarterback system, it is quarterback dependent. You’ve got to have a guy that makes great post-snap decisions. You’ve got to be super accurate. Being dynamic athletically is really helpful as well. But I think they’re going to be fine at quarterback. I’m not concerned. I think the offense will be great.

“I think there could be a couple growing pains on defense, and that happens. That’s okay. I think their quarterback, if it is a true freshman, will have some growing pains in this league. But I think Tennessee is probably the team in the league that’s flying under the radar the most, as strange as that may sound. Because their offense should be good and it’s ready-made to score points. It’s just how many games can they win against teams that can bludgeon you with the defensive personnel they’re going to bring. So I think Tennessee is very dangerous.”

A lot of analysts are down on the Vols because they’ll be going with a first-time starter at quarterback.

But McElroy clearly believes in Josh Heupel’s ability to get the most out of a young quarterback and put a dynamic offense on the field.

McElroy is also right, though, that there will be some growing pains for whichever young quarterback starts. And that’s okay — that’s part of the development process. Neither George MacIntyre nor Brandon are finished products. They’re going to make some mistakes, and they’re going to (hopefully) learn from those mistakes.

Again, no one knows how the season will play out, but the Vols have enough talent on the roster to put themselves in the playoff conversation late in the season, as long as everyone stays healthy and the ball bounces their way a few times at critical moments.