There’s still a lot to be learned about Tennessee’s football team in 2026, but we did find out 3 important things in Vols’ win over Furman
The Tennessee Volunteers cruised to a season-opening win over Furman on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee cruised to a 56-9 win over Furman on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium.
It can be tough to learn much about a team in these types of games, and there are certainly still a lot of unknowns for the Volunteers this fall.
Tennessee’s offensive line, for example, didn’t have its best game on Saturday — especially early in the afternoon. But the Vols were without center Sam Pendleton, who started all 13 games at center last season. Sophomore Nic Moore made his first career start with Pendleton sidelined.
Moore had a great offseason, but he’s short on experience. That could’ve contributed to the offensive line issues. There’s also the fact that Tennessee is still searching for its best combination — specifically on the right side.
Additionally, left tackle David Sanders Jr was a little shaky in the first half, drawing a penalty and giving up a sack on Faizon Brandon on one series, but he’s an elite player who won’t have many games like that. I wouldn’t worry at all about Sanders moving forward.
Something else that’s still an unknown is the WR3 battle. I think sophomore Radarious Jackson is the top option right now (three receptions for 38 yards), but true freshman TK Keys is going to push for that spot (two receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown).
Travis Smith Jr (two receptions for 22 yards) isn’t far behind. He’s the most physical of the group, but he did have a tough drop on Saturday. That battle, as expected, will continue, and all three should get plenty of opportunities.
The 3 things we learned about Tennessee against Furman
While it can be tough to learn much about a team in a blowout win over inferior competition, there were a few things we found out about the Vols on Saturday.
Faizon Brandon is the real deal: I think this is the obvious takeaway for everyone. Brandon showed that he’s dynamic with his legs in a way we haven’t seen since Hendon Hooker was in a Vols uniform (and Brandon is faster). Brandon, like Hooker, was a really good basketball player, and the court vision translates to the football field.
Brandon also showed great accuracy on a couple of really nice throws — especially the second touchdown to Mike Matthews.
What really impressed me with Brandon, though, is what he didn’t do — he never tried to force anything. When nothing was there a couple of times, Brandon quickly ran out of bounds for a short gain (he also got out of a sack that looked like a sure loss and turned it into a four yard gain). The competition will get tougher from here, but Brandon didn’t look like an 18-year-old making his first college start on Saturday — and that’s probably the biggest takeaway you could hope for coming out of this game.
The pass rush looked better than expected: One of the biggest concerns entering the season was the Vols’ pass rush. Jim Knowles admitted before the season that it’s a question mark.
I know it was just Furman (no disrespect), but Tennessee’s defensive line looked extremely disruptive. Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam was particularly productive, totaling three sacks in his Vols debut.
Tennessee finished the day with six sacks. A year ago in a 72-17 win over East Tennessee State, the Vols had just three sacks. Two years ago in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga, Tennessee had just one sack.
Tennessee found a hidden gem in tight end Trent Thomas: One of the least talked about additions of the offseason was South Alabama transfer tight end Trent Thomas, but he’s going to be an important player for the Vols this fall.
Thomas didn’t have a crazy stat line — just two receptions for 13 yards — but he was used early in the game as a key blocker, and he also looked like a reliable target in the passing game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him emerge as a move-the-chains type of receiver who does a lot of dirty work as a run blocker. Ethan Davis and DaSaahn Brame aren’t going anywhere, but I think Vols fans will see a lot of Thomas in 2026.
