Tennessee
Josh Heupel updates injury status of DeSean Bishop, Braylon Staley and Joey Aguilar
Josh Heupel said Saturday night that he’s not concerned about the injury suffered by Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop in the third quarter of the 34-31 win over Arkansas at Neyland Stadium.
Bishop appeared to injure his right leg after a 26-yard run. He had 14 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.
“I don’t think it’s a long-term deal at all,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference.
Bishop was examined by trainers before leaving the field under his own power, without a noticeable limp. He did not return to the game.
Up Next: Tennessee at Alabama, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) finished with 264 yards on 40 carries as a team. Peyton Lewis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run after Bishop left the game, then added a 2-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter. Lewis finished with eight carries for 33 yards.
“You guys have heard me say it,” Heupel said, “I don’t care where you’re at, how much you’ve played, you get into this stretch inside the SEC, the next guy is going to be called upon.
“Those running backs have all played well throughout the course of it. And it was a huge (touchdown) run there by Peyton, really down the stretch in late third and fourth quarter. He played really well.”
Wide receiver Braylon Staley also left the game with an injury in the second half, but again Heupel was not concerned after the game. Staley led the Vols with six catches on eight targets for 109 yards, with a long of 42.
“Braylon, he was celebrating, having fun in the locker room,” Heupel said, “so I anticipate he can be ready to go.”
The Vols go to No. 8 Alabama (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
QB Joey Aguilar left game briefly late in fourth quarter
Quarterback Joey Aguilar briefly left the game late in the fourth quarter after a 28-yard run. He landed on the football while being tackled and said after the game that the wind was knocked out of him.
Aguilar completed 16 of 25 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown and ran five times for a season-high 59 yards. Backup quarterback Jake Merklinger replaced Aguilar.
“He just turned the numbers into our favor there at the end,” Heupel said of the 28-yard run Aguilar was hurt on. “Wanted him to get down once the play is over. Just knocked the wind out of himself. So in that way it’s positive, but I would like him to not take that hit at the very end.”
Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.
UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.
Game times and television designations will be announced later.
Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.
Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.
Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.
Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.
Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.
Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.
Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.
Tennessee football 2026 schedule
- Sept. 5: Furman
- Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
- Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
- Sept. 26: Texas*
- Oct. 3: Auburn*
- Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
- Oct. 17: Alabama*
- Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
- Oct. 31: Open
- Nov. 7: Kentucky*
- Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
- Nov. 21: LSU*
- Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*
*SEC game
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.
“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”
Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.
Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.
The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
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Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy announced Wednesday that he will enter the 2026 NFL Draft. McCoy is a potential top-10 pick in this draft class, despite having missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury.
A transfer from Oregon State following the 2023 season, McCoy earned first-team All-SEC and second-team All-America honors following his first season at Tennessee, in which he registered four interceptions, nine pass breakups and 44 tackles. However, McCoy suffered an ACL injury in January and did not take the field during the Volunteers’ regular season.
“(E)ven though my time on the field was cut short,” McCoy wrote in a statement shared on social media, “I will forever be grateful for my time here at the University of Tennessee. It has been a true honor, and I’m appreciative for every moment I had in the orange and white.”
McCoy (6 feet, 195 pounds) will be one of the most closely scrutinized prospects during the pre-draft cycle, as interested teams wait to see what his updated medical reports reveal.
The junior ranked No. 9 (and as the No. 1 cornerback) on Dane Brugler’s most recent draft board. He was the 16th pick, by Dallas, in Brugler’s mock draft last week.
Dane Brugler’s immediate reaction
A prospect carrying first-round tape from 2024 but no tape from 2025 is not ideal. That said, McCoy will be more than a year removed from his ACL injury when NFL team doctors examine his knee at the combine in February 2026, to (hopefully) verify full health and no long-term concerns.
The timing of his injury could turn out to be something of a positive, because McCoy should be able to work out and test at some point before the draft, giving him a chance to remind teams why he was considered a potential top-10 pick after last season.
LSU’s Mansoor Delane closed ground with his senior season — he’s made a strong case to be CB1 in this class. But McCoy is very much still in that conversation, assuming the medicals come back clean.
HOW DID HE COME UP WITH THIS? 😲
Tennessee shuts down Vandy in the end zone ❌ pic.twitter.com/aUHZeAWC8i
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 30, 2024
Nick Baumgardner’s scouting report
McCoy was in a really tough spot. A case certainly could’ve been made for McCoy to return to college next year, as he’s played only one full season as a starter in the SEC. And though his 2024 season was pretty great, that performance and 400 or so snaps at Oregon State are all we have to go on here.
Physically, though, McCoy is everything you look for in a high-first-round cornerback. He’s big with very quick feet, natural instincts and terrific ball skills in coverage. Despite not playing a snap this season, McCoy still stacks up as an easy first-rounder on this year’s board, largely because of his physical potential.
Testing will be critical here, and I’m eager to see if McCoy is healthy enough to compete in either the Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl. He should do as much as he can. We saw a talented player in a similar situation last year when now-Cardinals rookie corner Will Johnson tumbled down the board after not testing or taking part in anything physical during the pre-draft process.
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