Spring practice always brings optimism across college football, but for the Tennessee Volunteers, it brings something else. It brings pressure. After a step back in 2025, this is a program that no longer has the luxury of patience. The 2026 season is not about development. It is about response. Tennessee went from a College Football Playoff team in 2024 to an eight-win team in 2025, and that kind of regression changes expectations quickly. The biggest reason for that drop was obvious. The defense collapsed. What was once a top-10 unit turned into one of the worst defenses in the country, falling all the way to No. 92. That is not a minor issue. That is the kind of failure that forces immediate change. Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles during the Vols' first spring football practice in Knoxville. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images That change came with the hiring of Jim Knowles, one of the most respected defensive minds in the sport.…