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What S Next For Tennessee Defensive Reboot Needed In Cbs Sports

Bonisiwe Shabane
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what s next for tennessee defensive reboot needed in cbs sports

Tennessee's 2025 season ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. The Vols ensured that they would finish with an 8-5 record -- their worst under coach Josh Heupel since his first season in 2021 -- with Tuesday's 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music... Most rational minds understood that this would be a bit of a reset year for Tennessee after it made its College Football Playoff debut in 2024. Former quarterback Nico Iamaleava's decision to transfer after spring practice put the Vols in a tough spot. As did preseason injuries to All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy, who never returned in 2025, and a few key defensive lineman. Even with that expectation in mind, it's hard to call Tennessee's 2025 efforts anything less than a complete failure.

Tennessee didn't beat a single FBS opponent with a winning record. Three of its four conference wins came against schools that either fired their coach midseason or after the season ended. Tennessee didn't look like a team in its fifth consecutive year under the same coach. The Vols significantly regressed in multiple fundamental areas of football. They couldn't tackle. The offensive line wilted against comparable competition.

Heupel's clock management remains questionable, and his team's discipline and mental fortitude are glaring issues. Tennessee capped the regular season with its first loss against Vanderbilt since 2018 and first loss against the Commodores in Knoxville since 2017. Vanderbilt's 45-24 triumph also represented its largest margin of victory against Tennessee in seven years, as the Commodores walked all over a lifeless Tennessee team. CBS Sports is the premier destination for all sports fans. Get access to the biggest sports events live including NFL & Super Bowl LVIII, UEFA Champions League, BIG10 & SEC Football, March Madness, the Masters, PGA Championship and more, plus in-depth analysis, breaking news,... Tennessee's 2025 season ended not with a bang, but with a whimper.

The Vols ensured that they would finish with an 8-5 record -- their worst under coach Josh Heupel since his first season in 2021 -- with Tuesday's 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music... Most rational minds understood that this would be a bit of a reset year for Tennessee after it made its College Football Playoff debut in 2024. Former quarterback Nico Iamaleava's decision to transfer after spring practice put the Vols in a tough spot. As did preseason injuries to All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy, who never returned in 2025, and a few key defensive lineman. Even with that expectation in mind, it's hard to call Tennessee's 2025 efforts anything less than a complete failure. Tennessee didn't beat a single FBS opponent with a winning record.

Three of its four conference wins came against schools that either fired their coach midseason or after the season ended. Tennessee didn't look like a team in its fifth consecutive year under the same coach. The Vols significantly regressed in multiple fundamental areas of football. They couldn't tackle. The offensive line wilted against comparable competition. Heupel's clock management remains questionable, and his team's discipline and mental fortitude are glaring issues.

Josh Heupel announced his 2026 Tennessee football coaching staff after firing multiple assistants and reshaping it for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. UT announced the staff changes on Jan. 2, three days after the Vols (8-5) lost 30-28 to Illinois in the Music City Bowl to finish a disappointing 2025 season. Heupel fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez. Outside linebacker coach Levorn Harbin will no longer be part of the on-field coaching staff. Heupel did not retain strength coach Kurt Schmidt, whose contract expires Jan.

31. And he did not retain assistant secondary coach Earnest Thomas, who was not under contract as a support staff member. Heupel hired former Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter (co-defensive coordinator/secondary), former Penn State assistant Andrew Jackson (edge rushers) and former Ohio State assistant Michael Hunter Jr. (cornerbacks) because of their familiarity with Knowles' defensive scheme. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner and linebackers coach William Inge were retained. To stream CBS 8 on your phone, you need the CBS 8 app.

Example video title will go here for this video Example video title will go here for this video Tennessee’s football team's defensive reset is officially underway after a frustrating 2025 campaign that ended with an ugly home loss to Vanderbilt and renewed questions about whether the Volunteers can actually break through in... Tim Banks, a Broyles Award finalist just a year ago, is out as defensive coordinator after a season in which Tennessee repeatedly gave up explosive scoring totals and squandered momentum in Neyland Stadium, forcing... According to On3’s Chris Low, Tennessee is expected to hire Jim Knowles as its next defensive coordinator, with Knoxville widely viewed as his landing spot once he finishes working through a buyout from his... Low reports that Knowles is lined up to take over the Vols’ defense once he officially hits the market, giving Heupel a veteran play-caller with experience coordinating units at both Penn State and Ohio...

The move signals a clear acknowledgment from Tennessee that last year’s defensive backslide was not acceptable for a program that wants to be more than just “solid” in the SEC. This article/post contains references to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products or services. Tennessee is making another change to its coaching staff for the 2026 season with the hiring of Penn State’s Andrew Jackson for a role working with the Volunteers’ front seven. The Vols’ latest new hire was reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Thursday afternoon. Jackson’s hire would continue Tennessee‘s push to put this season’s disappointing 8-5 campaign behind it.

That 5th and final loss came on Tuesday night in the Music City Bowl, with the Volunteers falling to Illinois on a last-second field goal to put the finishing touches on a season that... The urgency to turn it around in 2026 is showing quickly. Tennessee has hired a new defensive coordinator in veteran Jim Knowles, who won a national championship as Ohio State’s DC in 2024 before spending the 2025 season in the same role at Penn State. Speaking of Happy Valley, that’s where Jackson is arriving in Knoxville from, so his reported hire would reunite Jackson with Knowles for this coming season. Tennessee is expected to hire Penn State’s Andrew Jackson in a front seven coaching role, sources tell @CBSSports.Was defensive line coach at West Virginia from 2021-24. Helped WVU rank among the Big 12’s best in categories like run defense, sacks and tackles for loss… pic.twitter.com/lB0bli011q

Tennessee has hired Jim Knowles as its next defensive coordinator following the firing of Tim Banks earlier this week, the university announced Thursday. The move signals a major effort by coach Josh Heupel to re-establish his team's defensive identity after a costly drop-off in performance in 2025. Banks, who was dismissed Monday after five seasons in Knoxville, saw his defense collapse this fall. Once a unit that helped carry Tennessee into the College Football Playoff just a season ago, the Volunteers surrendered 28.8 points per game and allowed 395.5 yards on average -- both third-worst in the... Enter Knowles, who after spending 2025 at Penn State, was not retained by incoming coach Matt Campbell and found a landing spot in Knoxville. Knowles' coaching résumé is among the most decorated for a defensive coordinator.

Before Penn State, he spent three seasons as defensive coordinator at Ohio State -- including the 2024 national championship season, when his defense ranked No. 1 in the country in both scoring (12.9) and total defense (254.6). "Hiring Jim Knowles was our top priority from the start of this process," Heupel said in a statement. "Jim has a proven track record of developing elite defenses that play with an edge, and we got to see that first-hand during the 2024 College Football Playoff. His defenses are always physical, well prepared and can adapt quickly in-game against today's complex offenses. He's a competitor, a winner and someone who will get the most out of our players in practice and on gameday.

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