Tennessee puts bow on 2026 Big Orange Caravan in Tri-Cities

KINGSPORT — As has been the case in recent years, local Tennessee fans had a strong showing at the Big Orange Caravan on Thursday evening. The final of three stops this spring, the university's athletic department brought out athletic director Danny White, head football coach Josh Heupel, men's basketball coach Rick Barnes, and women's basketball coach Kim Caldwell to MeadowView Convention Center to meet with fans and discuss the latest happenings in the athletic department. "It's been awesome," Caldwell said. "Tri-Cities are always the last stop for us. We have such a passionate fan base here. It's always amazing to get back and it's the icing on the cake to a really cool week." Changing Times One of the biggest moves for football over the offseason was the addition of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as well as other position coaches on that side of the ball. The Vols, who went 8-5, finished 91st in the FBS in total defense and in scoring defense. While the defensive staff underwent a major overhaul, defensive line coach Rodney Garner and linebackers coach William Inge remained on staff. Heupel believes the holdovers have blended with the new staff members in a strong way. "First, those are great coaches and great people," he said. "We've brought in the same kind of caliber of person and coach. It was important to me that we had someone at every level of our defensive staff that had some level of experience. I think that speeds up the (install) process." One local product is a part of learning that defense in former Greeneville star Zay Anderson. Anderson was a four-star in the most recent recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports, and was an early-enrollee to Knoxville. "I've loved the development," Heupel said. "Just had an exit interview with him the other day. He's a guy that's come in and has been really accountable. He's continued to change his body, add muscle and size to his frame. Extremely athletic. Has great long speed. Has continued to develop at the corner position. Really excited about what he's done and his future." Also new to 2026 for the Vols will be a nine-game SEC schedule. After the long-standing tradition of eight league games, the conference will play one more and has eliminated a non-conference slot. Tennessee will host Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, and LSU in SEC play and will visit Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. "The ninth game adds a lot of excitement," Heupel said. "Great games for our fans and for our players and staff. But, there's a physical component of it, too. I think we play eight straight, and have nine conference games. It's a long journey in that season." Barnes Continuing to Build The Tennessee basketball team is once again coming off an Elite Eight appearance in 2025-26, the third in a row for the program. However, the Vols will feature a different look with four incoming freshmen joining a six-man transfer portal class. "We're excited about the high school group first," Barnes said. "But obviously, once we got into the portal, just a lot of credit to our guys we call our front office, but our assistant coaches throughout the year. They're all working together. They've had it down where a guy could push a button and they could tell you what they think. So we were ready for it. Now we're happy with where we are. Now just put it all together." While on the Big Orange Caravan in Nashville on Wednesday night, Barnes also revealed the Vols will play Michigan State in the non-conference this season as part of a home-and-home agreement with the Spartans. Tennessee has not officially played Michigan State since the 2010 Elite Eight, but have battled in scrimmages and a charity game in 2023-24. "We're getting it all put together," Barnes said. "Obviously excited to be in the discussions and get it all started. We've still got some more discussions going on with teams as we continue to try and put our schedule together – not just this year – but getting balance over the next couple of years. Excited about it."