KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Game week has arrived on Rocky Top as No. 24/18 Tennessee prepares to open its 129th football season Saturday against Syracuse in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (12 p.m. ET, ABC).

After Monday morning meetings and workouts, head coach Josh Heupel met with local media inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center for his weekly press conference.

“Game week is finally here,” Heupel said during his opening remarks. “We get the chance to go play in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Great venue, great event, and a great opportunity for us to go play a really good football program in Syracuse. We have 20 players from the state of Georgia, I think 15 guys from the Atlanta area. They’re going to have a lot of family and friends at the game. Great way for us to kick it off and find out where we’re at.”

With four weeks of fall camp in the books, the Vols now turn their focus to a Syracuse team that went 10-3 and finished fourth in the ACC last season. The Orange feature a retooled offense in 2025, presenting the challenge of preparing for an opponent with plenty of unknowns in Week 1.

“You’re at the point in the year where you have to prepare extremely well this week and get ready to go play,” Heupel said. “Game one, there’s a lot of unknowns as far as what you’re seeing from the other side of the ball, their personnel, all of those things. You have to be able to communicate and adjust quickly and well during the course of a football game. But I like this team that we have, and they’ve handled themselves with great maturity. They’ve been extremely competitive, they’ve continued to grow. We need to do that this week and then go play.”

Full comments from Heupel’s Monday press conference can be viewed below.

Tennessee Football Press Conference | Aug. 25, 2025

Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening statement…
“First of all, I want to wish Ben McKee our best wishes as he has a fight on his hands and our prayers are with him. I look forward to seeing him back inside of this room really quickly and want him and his family to know that we’re thinking about him.

“Game week’s finally here. We get the chance to go play in the Affleck Kickoff Game in Mercedes-Benz (Stadium). Great venue, great event and great opportunity for us to go play a really good football program in Syracuse. We have 20 players from the state of Georgia, I think 15 guys from the Atlanta area. They’re going to have a lot of family and friends at the game. Great way for us to kick it off and find out where we’re at.”

On where the team is right now…
“I like who they are, how they compete, how they’ve grown. You’re at the point in the year where you have to prepare extremely well this week and get ready to go play. Game one, there’s a lot of unknowns as far as what you’re seeing from the other side of the ball, their personnel, all of those things. You have to be able to communicate and adjust quickly and well during the course of a football game. But I like this team that we have, and they’ve handled themselves with great maturity. They’ve been extremely competitive, they’ve continued to grow. We need to do that this week and then go play.”

On what he typically learns about the team during the first game…
“At the end of the day, it’s the first time that you’re playing in front of a packed stadium. There’s knowns and unknowns of what you’re seeing on the other side of the football. Their ability to communicate and all 11 play as one. For some of them it will be their first live action in college, the physicality and the speed. Running through the tunnel, it’s different. Everybody remembers their first time inside of a packed stadium of this size. I certainly can remember mine. You get between the white lines, it’s 11 on 11, and so being able to settle into the ball game and do your job at a really high level are all things that are going to be really important.”

On the steps the staff has taken to make team chemistry and team continuity a top priority during the offseason…
“It doesn’t just happen on game week, it’s something that we’re intentional on when we get back in January and start our offseason every single year. You guys have heard me say, young guys don’t have time to be young, that’s in how they approach everything they’re doing every day. Our veterans (are) doing a great job leading those guys, helping them grow as men and in the game as they embark on a college career and handling everything that comes with it. It’s constant growth and as far as building continuity or connection as a football team, those are things that were always diligent in. That happens when you’re inside the building, in the weight room, on the practice field, but also carving out moments outside of the normal football action to develop relationships.”

On the level of confidence he has in the quarterbacks and receivers…
“I really like all of those guys. In the quarterback room you’ve heard me talk about the three guys that competed during the course of training camp, you’ve heard me talk about the wideouts. I love the traits. They’ve all been healthy here the last week and change, so I’m excited about that group. Don’t have time to be young (or) play young, but I expect them to be ready to go play the way that they’ve practiced.”

On if he anticipates Boo Carter playing on Saturday…
“Yeah, I anticipate that. For all of us that are in the course of this week it’s still learning, earning, taking your job and proving that you’re ready to.”

On some of the challenges preparing for the Syracuse offense that has a lot different personnel compared to last season…
“Yeah, a lot of different personnel. All their shift trade motions, the communication is going to be important. I said it earlier but tying all three levels of your defense together is going to be important in this. You have to be able to win one-on-one matchups with the way that they spread the field too. That’s in your secondary but that’s also winning one-on-one matchups up front.”

On who the backup quarterback will be or if that is still an open competition…
“You guys will find out on Saturday I guess when the depth chart comes out.”

On how important the roles of the tight ends will be in helping Joey Aguilar adjust and ease into this new season…
“It’s important for them to be in sync in the pass game but as a tight end you have multiple things that you have to do. They have to be elite at what we’re asking them to do in the run game, in the core and then obviously in protection at times as well. In this football game, all 11 being on the same page and doing their job at a really high level is important. You know you have to be efficient on first and second down and that’s a part of creating big plays, too, and being able to convert on third down.”

On the key to being a good red zone offense and improving from last season in that area…
“Well, some of last year was penalties where you get behind the sticks. You got to play smart football down there. The efficiency of the run game is a big part of that as well. If you are throwing the football, you have to be efficient with it. So, a lot of what takes place in the middle of the field is important in the red zone. It’s hypercritical in the red zone because space is condensed and you got to be really efficient whether you’re running the football or throwing it.”

On the continuity and chemistry of the offensive line…
“Really good. From the meeting room to how they’ve operated, communicated, been in sync in the run game and pass protection out on the practice field, as well. You know, you guys keep talking about the guys who haven’t played or are new. As a coach, you feel like you’ve had a lot of time on task with these guys. There’s a lot of trust in the guys that will get their first action here.”

On his feelings towards the state of the wide receiver room…
“Young guys that maybe came in January or transferred in January, I feel like they’ve done an elite job of being super mature and handling everything within the scope of our offense. Played and competed at a really high level, made plays. I got great trust in those guys.”

On the SEC moving to a nine-game conference schedule starting next season…
“That’s one less question I have to worry about getting from you guys at Media Days or any of those events. We finally checked one off the box. This is the best conference, top to bottom, inside the country. What you face, week in and week out, adding a ninth game, I think is exciting for everybody. Great venues, great games, so I’m really excited about that.”