If there's been one main issue for Tennessee football throughout the season that has people most frustrated, it's no question the play of the defense. Against Alabama, a game the Vols felt like they had a great chance to come out on top of, that side of the ball didn't look solid at all.
Josh Heupel provides Joey Aguilar injury update Tennessee fans were waiting on
Because of that, UT fans have been quite upset with defensive coordinator Tim Banks, as his guys are making silly mistakes and missed tackles are being showcased far too often. This was something that was brought up to head man Josh Heupel and it was clear that he's not pleased with how things are going there either:
The sigh from Josh Heupel when asked about Tennessee’s tackling struggles says it all pic.twitter.com/sDWm3Pi0y8
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) October 20, 2025
Tennessee's defense must improve ASAP if the Vols want to reach the CFP
As you can see in that clip above, the expression on Heupel's face says it all. It's so surprising that the Tennessee defense has taken such a step back. We knew the group would suffer with plenty of standouts leaving during the offseason, but for the guys to look this poor?
There's no doubt that injuries have also haunted the program on defense, especially in the secondary. Colton Hood has been strong and Ty Redmond has looked fantastic at times, but not having Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson has been rough for the Vols.
McCoy was an All-American last year and he's got first-round NFL Draft pick written all over him. Everyone was hoping that he'd be back in action to take on the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, but he's still not cleared and no one knows when he'll be back this fall.
All in all, the Tennessee offense has been superior to the defense, but there's got to be some stability there. Banks needs to figure out a way to clean things up ASAP, especially with the tackling. He's paid the big bucks to make sure his guys are technically sound and executing each Saturday. Thus far in 2025, that's not the case.