Tennessee football lost a lot of production on the defensive side of the ball after last season, but the Vols still return one of the best Edge rushers in the SEC, based on last year's Pro Football Focus grades.
Vols edge rusher Joshua Josephs returns for his senior season as one of the highest-graded returning edge rushers in the conference, holding an 89.8 grade last season.
That's good enough for the highest grade on the defense among returning players on Tennessee's defensive line and the second-highest grade in the SEC behind Florida edge rusher Tyreak Sapp.
Highest Graded Returning SEC Edge Rushers🔥 pic.twitter.com/0ERIkfNYXL
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 6, 2025
Behind Josephs is Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk with an 83.8 grade, Texas' Colin Simmons with an 82.6, and Texas A&M's Cashuys Howell with an 82.4 rounds out the top five.
While the Vols will miss edge rusher James Pearce Jr across from Josephs for many reasons, the Vols at least have a plan in place with Josephs to replace Pearce's production on the edge.
Pearce is primarily known for his pass rushing, but Josephs had the highest run defense grade on the team last year with a 91.4, while he had an 86.4 pass rush grade. He finished the year with 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
The Vols' defense was stout last year, relying heavily on their front seven defenders. That will likely be the case again this year, with Josephs leading the charge on the edge.
Tennessee's first game will be a neutral-site Power Four matchup against Syracuse. The Vols and Orange will meet in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Mercedes Benz Stadium with the hopes of opening the year with a win against a solid ACC opponent.