Spring football is now in our rearview mirror, and the first opportunity at competition among the Tennessee Vols’ 2026 roster has taken place.

The roster includes a healthy mix of transfer players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is trying to put together his best two deep at each position.

Despite all the transfers, one familiar face has stuck out to Knowles in a good way: safety Edrees Farooq.

The rising junior safety from Columbia, MD earned some praise from his new defensive coordinator on the latest episode of “The Juice” that the University of Tennessee released across their social media platforms on Thursday.

Tennessee DC Jim Knowles says that Edrees Farooq is the top safety after the spring

“He’s a great example of a guy who’s been here who’s invested. Did not leave even though there was a transition and even though there were new safeties coming in. Edrees stayed and competed and learned and really, coming out of spring, established himself as the top safety.

“So, I knew him a little bit through recruiting, but I was impressed with what he did on the field and how he picked things up.”

Farooq isn’t someone who’s new to the spotlight. Far from it, actually, as he started 12 games last season at safety. And despite Tennessee’s defense struggling last season, Farooq actually acquitted himself nicely on the field. He had 76 total tackles, four forced fumbles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery.

However, he never really got the attention for his play, as the Vols’ struggles as a unit overshadowed much of the good individual performances. The breakout of Colton Hood and flashes by Ty Redmond in the secondary also soaked up a good bit of praise.

As far as why Farooq chose to stay in Knoxville and not pursue opportunities elsewhere, Farooq mentioned the Tennessee fans among reasons why he wanted to remain right where he is.

“It was important to stay here because, just being here, the culture and everything is just amazing,” Farooq said. “The fans, they’re there for us at all times. And I’ll say, just me going into this season, I feel like just having people beside me to play with that’s willing to compete is a great thing to have because you have people beside you that you could trust. You see that they want to grow, and from that, I feel like just me staying here and me being able to play with guys that have that mentality is great for me.”

Tennessee’s defense will need a number of the new faces to fit in and execute Knowles’ defense for the Vols to take a step forward as a unit in 2026. But if they do, it’ll almost be certainly with the help of No. 15 on the back end of their defense.