KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With Senior Day on deck and a matchup between two of the SEC’s most explosive offenses looming, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media Monday to preview No. 18/18 Tennessee’s regular season finale against in-state foe No. 12/12 Vanderbilt.
The 119th meeting between the Volunteers and Commodores kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in a sold-out Neyland Stadium. It will be the first time in series history that both programs enter the game ranked, and campus will be buzzing as SEC Network’s Marty & McGee and SEC Nation broadcast live from Ayres Hall.
The Vols (8-3, 4-3 SEC) aim to secure a winning conference record for the third time in four years and clinch a fourth consecutive nine-win season for the first time since 1995–99. The matchup features the SEC’s top two scoring offenses, with Tennessee averaging 42.3 points per game and the Commodores close behind at 38.9. It’s also a showcase for two former junior college quarterbacks in UT’s Joey Aguilar and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who rank third and first in the league respectively in total offense.
Heupel opened Monday’s press conference by highlighting the importance of closing the regular season at home and recognizing a veteran core that has fueled Tennessee’s return to prominence.
“Got an opportunity to come back home and finish the regular season out here in front of our fans,” Heupel said. “Honoring a bunch of seniors that have been a huge part of what we’ve done, for some of them over the last five years, and a great group that loved being around. So, we’ll have a chance to honor them, an opportunity to play a really great football team and get ready to go play.”
With Tennessee seeking its second-straight SEC victory to close out the 2025 regular season, Heupel discussed the challenges the Vols will face defensively against Pavia and Vanderbilt’s skill players.
“They have good skill out on the perimeter that’s catching the football, they play strong to the catch,” Heupel said. “We have to match everything out. A lot of shift, trade, motion. We’ve got to communicate and play assignment sound, but a part of that is also applying pressure and not letting them sit back there and pat the football all day long, too. While you’re doing that, he’s (Diego Pavia) got the ability to escape and make the plays. We’ve got to do a great job of not letting him outside of the pocket too.”
Full comments from Heupel’s Monday press conference can be viewed below.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Nov. 24, 2025
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
“Since I won’t see you guys before Thursday, I wish you, your families and all of our fans and their families a happy Thanksgiving. Got an opportunity to come back home and finish the regular season out here in front of our fans. Honoring a bunch of seniors that have been a huge part of what we’ve done, for some of them over the last five years, and a great group that loved being around. So, we’ll have a chance to honor them, an opportunity to play a really great football team and get ready to go play.”
On Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia’s growth as a player…
“Yeah, just another year of development, command of what they’re doing offensively. Certainly has the ability to use his feet and make plays. He’s throwing it extremely well. You know, he’s continued to get better throughout the course of the season, and being efficient with the football and has created a bunch of big plays, but his ability to be a part of the run game, as well, is a huge part of what they do offensively.”
On what TE DaSaahn Brame has been able to give them from the slot…
“Yeah, Saahn (DaSaahn Brame) is going to be a great player, and I love the growth that he’s had. I think I said it last week, a guy that missed a bunch of time early, just with an injury coming out of high school. But, he’s got great hands, great feel, good route runner, has good speed, so he has the ability to be extremely versatile in what we’re doing offensively. Playing the slot, using him in the pass game, he’s a good perimeter blocker too, and then certainly use him in the core.”
On QB Joey Aguilar becoming a fan favorite…
“Yeah, I think because of who he is, that’s where it starts. He’s humble, cares about the people around him, appreciative of this opportunity to be with his teammates. That’s why his teammates gravitated to him really quickly. And then he plays extremely hard, so you combine all those factors, I think he represents what Tennessee football is, but what this fanbase is all about, too.”
On what stands out about Vanderbilt’s defense…
“They’re playing extremely hard, physically in their front seven. Defensively, a lot of different structures. The last two years that we’ve played them, structure wise, it’s been dramatically different when we got to kickoff. We have to prepare for the structures that we’ve seen in the past and also what they’ve done this year.”
On the challenge the secondary will face against Vanderbilt…
“They have good skill out on the perimeter that’s catching the football, they play strong to the catch. We have to match everything out. A lot of shift, trade, motion. We’ve got to communicate and play assignment sound, but a part of that is also applying pressure and not letting them sit back there and pat the football all day long, too. While you’re doing that, he’s (Diego Pavia) got the ability to escape and make the plays. We’ve got to do a great job of not letting him outside of the pocket too.”
On what has impressed him from the defense over the last two games…
“Continued growth, getting some guys back healthy has helped as well, but our young guys have continued to mature throughout the course of the year. It takes all 11 doing their job, one guy out of a gap creates a big play in the run game. We’ve got to be assignment sound in this football game too.”
On how practice and performance improved ahead of Florida…
“Focus and competitive spirit as you walk into the building. I thought defensively, the last two weeks, they’ve practiced the right way, every day. New Mexico State week, there were a couple days offensively where I didn’t like our focus.”
On CB Ty Redmond’s growth…
“Excited about the growth he’s had, but also what’s coming in his future. I don’t think there was one lightbulb moment where it just clicked and triggered, I just think it’s been constant growth from him throughout the course of the year. He got thrust into the middle of the action really quickly, first quarter of the first ball game, where he was going to have to take the load the rest of the way. He’s responded and continued to grow and fight and compete and continue to get better every day and every week. Really proud of what he’s done.”
On what Bryson Eason and Dominic Bailey have meant to the program…
“Huge part of our defensive line culture, competitiveness, physicality, how they approach every day. Those two guys, the growth of who they were as an individual and as a player, from day one when I got here, to who they are now and how they affect their teammates, their consistency every day, I couldn’t be more proud of the steps that they’ve taken. They’ve both got great futures inside of this game and will have a great life afterwards too. Really proud of what they’ve continued to do and grow into.”
On the challenge of playing Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers and what makes him different from other tight ends…
“I think they (Diego Pavia and Stowers) have great trust with each other. He’s got the ability to play in space and recognize and work off of leverage extremely well and plays really strong to the catch.”
On challenges of resetting after the Senior Day ceremony before kickoff…
“It’s unique because there’s no other game that’s like that. One, you know it’s your last one inside of that stadium, but two, it’s unique. After our warmups, you usually go in and you got your routine. Your routine is stalled for a little bit. You know, you’re introduced, you see your family. That part is definitely unique. The mental side of it, it’s different. When you walk away from it, you walk back into the locker room, man you got to flip the switch and get back into your routine and your mindset to go play and compete. It’s not difficult to do, but it is a unique day.”
On the 2022 recruiting class exiting and the impact they left, potentially averaging 10 wins a season in their four years…
“For those guys, they signed up when there hadn’t been a ton of proof yet on the field. We had certainly taken a step, but their trust in our staff, our culture and what we were going to become and compete to be, I can’t say enough of how much I appreciate them. You know, that group has played at a very high level. There’s been some Saturdays we’ve been disappointed and our fans have been disappointed, but the consistency and the growth of this program is a direct reflection to those guys that came in that 2022 class.”
