Were the Tennessee Vols’ practices physical enough in 2025, and do UT’s practice habits need to change in 2026?

That’s one of the big questions facing the Volunteers this offseason after a report surfaced last month that suggested Tennessee’s practices didn’t include enough contact throughout the year.

“One source told On3 that one of the biggest concerns among some within the program is that the practices throughout the entire year, not just the season, aren’t physical enough and that there’s not enough contact,” reported On3’s Chris Low in November.

A comment from Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar after Tennessee’s loss to Vanderbilt last weekend seemed to confirm the concerns about UT’s practices.

“I would just probably say our week of preparation,” said Aguilar. “Some days we’re really good at practice. Some days we’re a little slower. And I mean, that carries on to game days. So, I think what we got to do is just attack the week like it’s your last. I mean, sometimes it could be your last, sometimes it can’t.

“We’re grateful that we are able to keep on going, but I think we just got to attack practice every day more seriously. And not saying that we don’t, but I mean there’s an extra level of urgency that we can have attacking practice week by week. So I would just say that.”

Former Vol who played for Josh Heupel shares thoughts on Tennessee’s practice habits

Former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane, who played for Josh Heupel at Tennessee for three seasons, joined The Sports Source this week and he shared some thoughts on the practice concerns.

“The way we’d structure our practices, we’d get our work in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” explained Lane. “I think it’s the smartest way to practice — because it saves your body for the game. I think back with (former Vols coach) Jeremy Pruitt, we would practice four days in full pads and you’d feel like crap on Saturday. I’ve never felt better and [more] game-time ready than in the situation with [Heupel].

“But I get the point that everybody’s pointing out. Because when players come out and say, ‘Well, we’ve got to take practice more serious’, then that tells me why aren’t you taking practice serious? And then on top of that, when you do have the injuries that you sustained to a lot of top players throughout your fall camp, it’s hard to say, ‘Alright, let’s go full tackle period.’ Why are we going to risk getting more and more people hurt on top of what we’ve already got [hurt] trying to roll into a season?”

I think the last part of Lane’s comments are a fair point that should certainly be considered when discussing the concerns about Tennessee’s practice habits. The Vols didn’t have much depth in 2025 due to having the youngest roster in the SEC. When you add in a few injuries to key players, it makes it difficult to have intense full-contact periods in practice. I mean, you gotta have guys healthy to play on Saturdays.

At the same time, based on the comments from Aguilar, the focus clearly wasn’t where it needed to be in practice on a consistent basis for the Vols. And that’s something that will need to improve moving forward for Tennessee to get to where it wants to go.

This is just one of the many things that Heupel will need to evaluate this offseason.

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