By Jack Glennon
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On a frigid Tuesday evening, the Tennessee Volunteers ended a disappointing season with a heartbreaking 30-28 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini in Nashville, Tennessee’s Music City Bowl.
Tuesday’s contest likely marked standout quarterback Joey Aguilar’s final game as a Volunteer, raising questions about who will lead the Tennessee offense in 2026.
After the game, Aguilar reflected on his season at Tennessee.
“I just can’t thank Coach, teammates enough for believing in me and trusting me to lead this team,” he said.
With incoming freshman Faizon Brandon unlikely to start on day one, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger has already hit the portal for greener pastures, leaving standout recruit George MacIntyre to headline a short list of potential candidates for the job.
It is pretty safe to assume that Tennessee will pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal for a second consecutive season.
Unfortunately for the Volunteers, however, the quarterback position will not be the only question mark entering next season.
Without serious changes to both the roster and the coaching staff, I believe that the Volunteers will struggle to finish with more than six wins next season.
Tennessee took a step in the right direction by firing Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks on Dec. 8, hiring former Penn State DC Jim Knowles a few days later.
And, though Knowles was not calling the defensive plays on Tuesday, the Volunteer defense looked stifling in the first half in the absence of Tim Banks, holding Illinois to a measly 10 points.
The second half, however, was a bloodbath, as Illinois scored 20 points while gaining 213 yards.
They also possessed the ball for a vast majority of the second half, totaling nearly 18 minutes of possession.
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel spoke on the team’s defensive effort after the game.
“We defended the run well at times, [but Altmyer] hit us with a couple of draws, too,” Heupel said.
In other words, Heupel believed Tennessee’s defense was inconsistent at best, which has been a common theme for the unit this season.
The Tennessee defense particularly struggled to contain Illinois Quarterback Luke Altmyer, who rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown.
After the game, Altmyer spoke on the game-winning drive.
“We’ve done it before… we have a lot of confidence… to make it happen,” he said.
Tennessee’s offense was also uncharacteristically anemic for much of the game.
They managed to score just seven points across their first six possessions, with Aguilar being sacked four times.
Though this can be in part attributed to the absence of All-American receiver Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee should not be looking for excuses after being held in check by an Illinois defense that yielded over 350 yards per game this season.
With a 2026 schedule that includes the likes of Georgia Tech, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M, LSU, and Vanderbilt, the 2026 campaign will be anything but a cakewalk.
Fortunately for Heupel, the transfer portal (which will open on Jan. 2) is loaded with quarterback talent.
While names like Sam Leavitt and Dylan Raiola come to mind as some of the top available quarterbacks, I believe the Volunteers would be better suited pursuing a Group of 5 signal-caller.
Enter Drew Mestemaker, the redshirt-freshman leader of the North Texas Mean Green.
Though Mestemaker may not be a household name for Volunteer fans, his resume is worth reviewing.
Willing an otherwise unimpressive North Texas team to a 12-2 record, his impressive 2025 campaign also saw him lead the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns, passing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Mestemaker’s NFL-level throwing power, along with his calm pocket presence, would be a perfect fit for Josh Heupel’s veer-and-shoot system.
Pair the league’s passing leader with the likes of DeSean Bishop, Mike Matthews, and Braylon Staley, and the Tennessee Volunteers will have an offense that can compete with any team in college football.
While Tennessee will need to make changes on defense before they can be considered a serious contender, luring Mestemaker away from the Mean Green could potentially save the Volunteers’ 2026 season, and Heupel his job.
Changes are needed on Rocky Top, and the next few days will be very telling in what direction Tennessee will go next season.