There’s something happening inside Tennessee’s locker room that deserves more attention and it’ll change how fans view this season’s team
The Tennessee Volunteers are a “connected” team heading into the 2026 college football season.
There aren’t many analysts predicting that Tennessee will make the College Football Playoff in 2026.
But the Vols’ players and coaches aren’t worried about those predictions. They’re focused on stacking days, being the best versions of themselves, and seeing how things shake out at the end of the season.
The Volunteers know they have the talent on the roster to have a special season if everyone does their part and the ball bounces their way a few times.
Special seasons, however, require more than just a talented roster. It has to be a team that has a strong connection, plays for each other, and holds each other accountable.
Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow said it best last month.
“You’ve gotta have a really close-knit team,” said Burrow when asked what it takes to win a championship. “You’ve gotta have a team that trusts each other. You’ve gotta have a team that wants to go to war for each other and fight for each other. A [team that] wants to hang out off the field, wants to play games in the locker room, and wants to sit with each other at lunch and have deep conversations.
“You have to have great players and great coaches, obviously. But a lot of teams have great players and great coaches. That’s not necessarily what does it.”
That’s why Tennessee fans should love what they heard from the team’s top two wide receivers on Monday.
Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews reveal one way the Vols are holding each other accountable
Wide receivers Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews met with reporters on Monday, ahead of the Vols’ season opener against Furman, and we learned from their media session that Tennessee’s players are holding each other accountable in a unique way.
Staley was asked about true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon’s decision to stay in Knoxville all offseason instead of returning home to Greensboro, NC to visit family.
The redshirt sophomore wide receiver told a story about checking Brandon’s location during the offseason and seeing that the true freshman quarterback was in Tennessee’s facilities.
“I’ve got his location (on his phone),” said Staley. “So when I went back home and trained — I was with Mike (Matthews) training — I called him and tried to see where he was at. I looked at his location and he was actually here (at UT’s football facility). It’s crazy because just being a true freshman, obviously you want to go back home and see your family, but he came in and did what he had to do.”
Matthews met with reporters after Staley and was asked how many of his teammates’ locations he has.
“I’ve definitely got at least about five,” said Matthews. “We just all just try to hold everybody accountable. But I mean, it’s nothing crazy.”
I don’t think Tennessee’s players are being militant about checking on each other’s locations every second of the day.
But it’s clear there’s some accountability happening. And that’s a great thing. It shows that this team cares about more than just individual performance — it shows they’re committed to putting the team first and making sure everyone is working toward the same goal.
Nothing is guaranteed in this sport. Sharing locations and holding each other accountable doesn’t mean that Tennessee will go 10-2 or 12-0 this fall. But it’s absolutely something that shows this team is connected.
And again, going back to what Burrow said, a team has to be connected to have a real chance to have a special season.
