Lincoln Riley joins coaches facing major pressure in 2026
Mike Norvell, Luke Fickell and Lincoln Riley lead the list of coaches facing pressure entering the 2026 college football season.
Head coach Josh Heupel announced that the Tennessee Volunteers football team will honor the late Dolly Parton this season by wearing a commemorative helmet sticker.
Parton, known as the “Queen of Country Music,” was born in the rural community of Locust Ridge, approximately 30 miles east of Knoxville, Tennessee. She died Aug. 25 after a battle with cancer at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential musicians and philanthropists in American history.
“You look at (Dolly’s) impact, you know, just her ability to give back, make an impact on people, certainly here in East Tennessee. She means a lot to people across this country,” Heupel said Monday, Aug. 31. “We’ll be wearing a sticker patch on the back of our helmet to recognize her accomplishments and everything that she’s meant.”
The sticker the Volunteers will wear is in the school’s iconic orange and features a butterfly reminiscent of the Dollywood logo, with “Dolly” written in white script at the center.
The Volunteers, ranked No. 18 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, will kick off their season against Furman at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.