Santa Claus is coming to town in just a couple of days, and Tennessee football has a long list of presents it would like. Let's take a look at the four most essential gifts the Vols want this Christmas season.
Clarity on the Joey Aguilar situation
Time is running out for Joey Aguilar and his lawsuit. The Vols have to have a reliable option at quarterback next fall, and with the portal opening soon, they need to move quickly.
Josh Heupel would surely welcome Aguilar back with open arms, but the longer this drags on, the more likely Heupel is to add a transfer and forget about Aguilar.
One way or another, Tennessee needs to know what the deal is with Aguilar.
Replenishing the DBs in the portal
Tennessee will likely lose Colton Hood to the NFL Draft. Jermod McCoy already annouced his departure, so the do need another cornerback.
Edrees Farooq was solid this year, and Tennessee loses Andre Turrentine. Vols fans have wanted a safety badly, as the unit was mediocre for the most part in 2025. Ideally, they would bring in a highly touted transfer to hold the room down with Farooq.
The pass defense was very shaky at times in 2025, and losing key pieces means that Heupel must add some SEC-caliber defensive backs when the transfer portal opens.
More 5-stars
Josh Heupel put together an excellent 2026 class that was ranked in the top-10 nationally and just barely 3rd in the SEC. In 2027, Tennessee would like to add even more 5-stars and beat the mark of three in the 2026 class. Tennessee just made the cut for 5-star in-state tailback David Gabriel Georges.
Stars do, in fact, matter, and the more talent Heupel can bring to Knoxville means the more likely the Vols are to make the College Football Playoffs.
Another CFP appearance
Last but not least, Tennessee has making the College Football playoffs again on their Christmas list. Unfortunately, they will have to wait almost a year for this wish to come true, but they will most definitely wait for it.
No disrespect to the Music City Bowl, but that is not the goal. Next holiday season, the Vols would like to be in something like the Rose Bowl, competing for a national title.