KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football is back on the practice field for the first time during 2026 camp, going through a 17-period individual workout on Wednesday morning at Haslam Field.
The low-density, acclimated practice featured individual position drills, routes on air, 7-on-7 and some 11-on-11 action without throws — all in helmets and shorts. The first practice concluded just shy of 11 a.m. ET.
“You are in the process of building a master in technique and scheme, and today is day one,” said sixth-year UT head coach Josh Heupel. “This is where we are at collectively and individually. It’s never about where you are at, it’s about where you have to get to and how hard you are going to compete. Guys got an afternoon to reset, eat and get some treatment to recover their bodies. Then, we have to go win in the meeting room this afternoon and prepare ourselves for tomorrow morning when we get back on the grass.”
With a little over four weeks until the season opener, the Vols are easing their way into camp, which will pick up speed in the coming days. That setup is especially helpful for newcomers, including true freshman and local Knoxville Catholic High School standout Tyreek King, who made his UT debut Wednesday. King’s elusiveness and explosiveness make him a potential threat in the return game, not just at slot wide receiver.
“Tyreek – typically guys that show up in summer, not the beginning of January enrollee, they’re a little bit outside their element day one when you get on the practice field,” Heupel said. “I thought today, he handled himself extremely well. He’s worked extremely hard physically, adding mass size. He’s extremely explosive, dynamic with the ball in his hands, working some punt return stuff, a skill set there as well.”
Heupel opened his Wednesday media availability by congratulating VFL and former All-SEC offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Wright, a 2023 NFL Draft first round pick, signed a four-year, $116 million extension with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, making him the highest paid right tackle in NFL history. Wright played for the Vols from 2019-22 and was a key force on Tennessee’s 2022 Orange Bowl team.
“Outside of this building, just excited about Darnell Wright, the contract he was able to sign,” Heupel said. “He’s proof positive of hard work and continuing to grow. He’s got a great career in front of him, and we are excited about the news on him.”
Tennessee returns to the practice field on Thursday morning and will only hold meetings on Friday.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Aug. 5, 2026
Opening statement…
“Outside of this building, just excited about Darnell Wright, the contract he was able to sign. Proof positive of hard work and continuing to grow. He’s got a great career in front of him. We are excited about the news on him. Really good work today on the grass as we start this on-field journey. A lot of fundamental work here, early part of training camp here, first couple days. Obviously that continues throughout, but big emphasis on that here today. Good to get out there with the guys.”
On how quickly players can learn scheme during the early part of fall camp…
“Throughout the course of the summer, you’re able to chip away at some of the scheme work and get some work with your guys. It’s a continued progression from summer into the start of training camp. Some scheme work, but a lot of fundamental work in all three phases too. Pads come on here in a couple days, and you’ll ramp up even more team periods during that.”
On analyzing every throw over the course of the quarterback competition…
“We do analyze every throw, every practice; the read, the fundamentals, the technique,
absolutely. I think you’re looking at every individual play. There are areas of growth. You want to see your quarterbacks, but it’s true for every player. Just continue to get better. I said it yesterday, but guys that keep making the same mistake twice, a third time, that’s when you get concerned. It’s a player’s responsibility to learn it, earn it, take it and prove he’s going to play at a championship level. To do that, to get to that point, you have to be able to progress from day-to-day, rep to rep.”
On Tyreek King arriving in the summer and his adjustment to college…
“Tyreek – typically guys that show up in summer, not the beginning of January enrollee, they’re a little bit outside their element day one when you get on the practice field. I thought today, he handled himself extremely well. He’s worked extremely hard physically, adding mass size. He’s extremely explosive, dynamic with the ball in his hands, working some punt return stuff, a skill set there as well. Holistically understanding our offense and being able to function and operate in it, really pleased with what he’s done, being a guy that came in in May and June, he’s got to continue to progress, but we all have to keep getting better too.”
On DeSean Bishop’s growth entering his fourth season with the program after starting as a walk-on…
“You go back to that timeframe; we were short on scholarships. Believed in the player, believed that we could help him grow as a person. You go back to his high school tape, great feet in the hole, great vision, great pace, and he certainly demonstrated that when he first got here. Guy that got hurt in his first training camp in one of the scrimmages, had a lower body injury, handled that in a mature way and continued to grow on and off the field. You look at him taking advantage of his opportunities last year, the consistency at which he played with. He never settled into, ‘Hey, I did this last year, this is what’s going to happen for me this year.’ That guy works as hard as anybody inside of our building, and that’s in the football, the scheme, fundamentals and technique, but it’s how he takes care of his body after he trains his body. He’s the consummate pro.”
On George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon’s ability to learn from mistakes…
“I thought they, through spring ball, the 15 practices we had, those guys were elite at continuing to grow. A couple things today, but I thought they managed everything as far as communication, pre-snap mechanics, extremely well. It’s day one. We’ll go back, we’ll analyze every throw, we’ll coach that up. Read, progression, fundamentals, technique, all that, but I just want to continue to see those guys grow.”
On the candidates for the punt returning spot…
“Got a bunch of guys that are competing for that spot. Qua Moss, (Braylon Staley) was back there some last year, Mike Matthews, there’s a bunch of them. You have to have a guy that’s a fearless and dynamic playmaker. That’s an aggressive but smart decision maker. Once he has the ball in his hands, has to be able to make somebody miss. It’s one of the plays in the game that can be as an explosive play as there is. When we have been really good on that unit, we have had 10 other guys doing their job at the line of scrimmage at a really high level, but we have had a guy that is fearless and willing to go make a play, too. That’s the expectation here. We have had some great returners since I have been here, but in the history of college football too. You look at the history of the return game here.”
On TK Keys’ status…
“He will be full go. There were a couple of things we just wanted to manage here on day one and day two, but he’s ready to go.”
On TK Keys’ development since spring practice…
“The last third of spring ball, we were able to get him on the field coming off of his high school injury. High level recruit but came in and competed extremely hard. He pushed hard every day to learn what we are doing offensively, where he felt comfortable so his traits could take over. He has grown fundamentally, you know, releases, being able to sink and get out of routes, attacking the football, but a high-level player. He’s extremely loose. I’m excited to see him go compete and go earn a job.”
On team’s intensity on the first day of practice…
“No, you are in the process of building a master in technique and scheme, and today is day one. This is where we are at collectively and individually. It’s never about where you are at, it’s about where you have to get to and how hard you are going to compete. Guys got an afternoon to reset, eat and get some treatment to recover their bodies. Then, we have to go win in the meeting room this afternoon and prepare ourselves for tomorrow morning when we get back on the grass.”
On Ty Redmond and Mike Matthews being leaders in their position rooms…
“It’s something that you’re not just born with; I think you develop and learn those traits. That can be in your house as a young guy or once you get into a program. Both of those guys are really good young players. The challenge to both of them when we go back in January was to grow in how you impact people around you; that can be your body language, but certainly in a leadership role, it’s going to be your voice. Just showing up and ‘leading by example’ – that’s just doing your job. You’ve got to learn how to impact and raise the level of the people around you to the standards that we have in everything that we do, in every department inside of this building. Those guys have continued to grow; there’s still meat on the bone for them, but I am proud of the steps that they’ve taken up until this point.”
On comparing the first day of fall camp as a player to now as a coach…
“Man, it’s a lot different. I’d be getting ready for meetings here in a couple hours and getting ready to go back out on the practice field. It’s a lot different than it used to be.”
On if the first day of fall camp is any different from an emotional standpoint from his first year in 2021…
“I wouldn’t say it’s different emotionally, for myself, all of our coaches, players, you’re excited. There’s a lot of work that goes into planning, preparation, workouts, all the investment that everybody inside your program, your building, makes from January up until yesterday when we get a chance to report. Every season, man, you’re starting to build your team; it starts in January. This is the next phase of who we’re going to be in the fall. We’ve got to win every day during the course of training camp. Excited mentally, physically, and emotionally to go get on the field with these guys and go compete. I said it yesterday, “I love training camp,” because there’s nothing but ball. There’s no school, there’s nothing else; we’re here as an entire team all day long growing and getting ready to go compete.”
On what the chemistry is like on the coaching staff…
“It’s just like your team. You start out in January when you have some turnover on your staff. Everybody is getting to know each other, understand who we are, what are the standards, how do we communicate, what’s the flow of the day. Spring ball is dramatically different than it is right now because you have had 15 days on the practice field. They understand the flow of it. Everybody is in sync and you build a team and that is where we are at. And now we gotta go compete and earn the opportunity to be ready to go play, to give yourself a chance every Saturday in the fall.”
