Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols are reportedly 'trending' to get a big off-the-field win over Clark Lea and Vanderbilt – A to Z Sports

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The Tennessee Vols ended the 2025 regular season with a blowout loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee is looking for some revenge in 2026, both on and off the field.
The Tennessee Vols will be looking for revenge this fall when they travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt last season for the first time in the Josh Heupel era.
Vanderbilt’s 45-24 win over Tennessee snapped the Commodores’ six game losing streak in the rivalry.
Tennessee doesn’t play Vanderbilt until November 28 — the final weekend of the regular season — so the Vols will have to wait a while for their on-the-field revenge.
The Volunteers, however, could get some off-the-field revenge against the Commodores this offseason.
According to On3’s Chad Simmons, Tennessee is “trending” to flip 2027 four-star linebacker Omarii Sanders from Vanderbilt.
Sanders, 6-foot-3/210 pounds from Nashville, TN, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 linebacker in the nation and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Tennessee. He’s also rated as the No. 42 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class (which means he’s not far away from being a five-star recruit).
The four-star linebacker has been committed to Vanderbilt since late November, but the Vols are giving him plenty to think about.
“Four-star linebacker Omarii Sanders, currently committed to Vanderbilt, has locked in official visits with Tennessee and Texas A&M — and the Vols are trending,” wrote Simmons. “Sanders has been back in Knoxville recently, communication has increased and sources indicate Tennessee has built real momentum in the race…there is growing confidence that Tennessee has a legitimate shot to pull off the flip.”
Simmons also noted that Sanders “could make a decision soon and doesn’t plan to take his recruitment deep into the official visit season”.
Tennessee currently has six players committed to its 2027 recruiting class, including four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman, who committed to the Vols over the Commodores.
Tennessee Volunteers News
The Tennessee Vols are in position to take advantage of North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick’s bad luck in Chapel Hill. Belichick is entering his second season as the head coach at UNC.
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