2025 Tennessee Volunteers football team

2025 Tennessee Volunteers football
2025 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	0–0 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach	Josh Heupel (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Joey Halzle (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tim Banks (5th season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

2025 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Alabama	0	–	0	0	–	0
Arkansas	0	–	0	0	–	0
Auburn	0	–	0	0	–	0
Florida	0	–	0	0	–	0
Georgia	0	–	0	0	–	0
Kentucky	0	–	0	0	–	0
LSU	0	–	0	0	–	0
Mississippi State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Missouri	0	–	0	0	–	0
Oklahoma	0	–	0	0	–	0
Ole Miss	0	–	0	0	–	0
South Carolina	0	–	0	0	–	0
Tennessee	0	–	0	0	–	0
Texas	0	–	0	0	–	0
Texas A&M	0	–	0	0	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	0	0	–	0
Championship: December 6, 2025
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of April 25, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025 Tennessee Volunteers football team will represent the University of Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers are led by head coach is Josh Heupel who is in his fifth year. The team will play its home games at Neyland Stadium located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Offseason

Transfers

^[1]^[2]

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Charlie Browder	TE	East Tennessee State
Ryan Darmon	QB	Stephen F. Austin
Christian Harrison	S	Cincinnati
Jayson Jenkins	DL	Florida State
Khalifa Keith	RB	Appalachian State
Vysen Lang	IOL	Troy
Nathan Leacock	WR	Purdue
Jordan Matthews	CB	Vanderbilt
Gaston Moore	QB	Unknown
Chas Nimrod	WR	South Florida
Kalib Perry	LB	Louisville
Cameron Seldon	RB	Virginia Tech^[3]
Luke Shouse	TE	Unknown
Jalen Smith	LB	Mississippi State^[4]
Nate Spillman	WR	Charlotte^[5]
Holden Staes	TE	Indiana^[6]
Kaleb Webb	WR	Maryland^[7]
Squirrel White	WR	Florida State^[8]

Incoming

Player	Position	Former Team
Amari Jefferson	WR	Alabama^[9]
Wendell Moe Jr.	IOL	Arizona^[10]
Sam Pendleton	IOL	Notre Dame^[11]
Star Thomas	RB	Duke^[12]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site
August 30	vs. Syracuse*	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA (Aflac Kickoff Game)
September 6	East Tennessee State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
September 13	Georgia	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
September 20	UAB*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
September 27	at Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS
October 11	Arkansas	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
October 18	at Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October)
October 25	at Kentucky	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)
November 1	Oklahoma	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
November 15	New Mexico State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
November 22	at Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
November 29	Vanderbilt	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
*Non-conference game

^[13]^[14]

Game summaries

vs. Syracuse

Pregame line	Over/under

Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) vs. Syracuse Orange (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Volunteers			0
Orange			0

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

Date: August 30

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	SYR
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Syracuse	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs East Tennessee State

Pregame line	Over/under

East Tennessee State Buccaneers (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Buccaneers			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: September 6

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ETSU	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Georgia

Pregame line	Over/under

Georgia Bulldogs (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: September 13

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UGA	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs UAB

Pregame line	Over/under

UAB Blazers (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Blazers			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: September 20

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UAB	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UAB	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Mississippi State

Pregame line	Over/under

Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Volunteers			0
Bulldogs			0

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi

Date: September 27

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	MSST
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Arkansas

Pregame line	Over/under

Arkansas Razorbacks (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Razorbacks			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: October 11

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ARK	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Alabama

Pregame line	Over/under

Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) at Alabama Crimson Tide (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Volunteers			0
Crimson Tide			0

at Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Date: October 18

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	ALA
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Kentucky

Pregame line	Over/under

Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) at Kentucky Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Volunteers			0
Wildcats			0

at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky

Date: October 25

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	UK
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Oklahoma

Pregame line	Over/under

Oklahoma Sooners (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Sooners			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: November 1

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	OKLA	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs New Mexico State

Pregame line	Over/under

New Mexico State Aggies (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Aggies			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: November 15

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NMSU	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Florida

Pregame line	Over/under

Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) at Florida Gators (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Volunteers			0
Gators			0

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

Date: November 22

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	UF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Vanderbilt

Pregame line	Over/under

Vanderbilt Commodores (0–0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Commodores			0
Volunteers			0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: November 29

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	VAN	TENN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Vanderbilt	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Roster

2025 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`0`	Ethan Davis	So
WR	`10`	Mike Matthews	So
QB	`12`	Jake Merklinger	Fr
WR	`14`	Braylon Staley	Fr
QB	`15`	George MacIntyre	Fr
WR	`17`	Chris Brazzell II	Jr
RB	`18`	DeSean Bishop	So
RB	`24`	Hunter Barnes	Jr
WR	`26`	Carson Whitehead	Jr
RB	`27`	Peyton Lewis	So
RB	`28`	Justin Baker	Fr
WR	`29`	Jack-Henry Jakobik	So
WR	`30`	Tommy Winton III	Jr
RB	`31`	Daune Morris	Fr
RB	`33`	Star Thomas	Sr
WR	`35`	Ben Petermann	Fr
WR	`36`	Nathan Roberts	So
WR	`38`	Deon Hardin	Jr
WR	`39`	Malcolm Kinzer	Fr
WR	`42`	Braylon Harmon	Fr
OL	`50`	William Satterwhite	Fr
OL	`53`	Lance Heard	Jr
OL	`55`	Antoni Ogumoro	Fr
OL	`56`	Sam Pendleton	So
OL	`60`	Jeremias Heard	Fr
OL	`64`	Ayden Bussell	So
OL	`65`	Trevor Duncan	So
OL	`68`	Bennett Warren	Fr
OL	`69`	Gus Hill	Jr
OL	`70`	David Sanders Jr.	Fr
OL	`71`	Max Anderson	Fr
OL	`72`	Jesse Perry	Fr
OL	`73`	Brian Grant	Jr
OL	`74`	Nic Moore	Fr
OL	`75`	Wendell Moe Jr.	Jr
OL	`77`	Larry Johnson III	Jr
OL	`78`	Gage Ginther	Fr
OL	`79`	Shamurad Umarov	So
WR	`80`	Travis Smith Jr.	Fr
WR	`81`	Amari Jefferson	Fr
WR	`82`	Dayton Sneed	So
WR	`83`	Trey Weary	Jr
WR	`84`	Radarious Jackson	Fr
WR	`85`	Kyle Miller	Sr
TE	`86`	Cole Harrison	Fr
TE	`87`	Miles Kitselman	Sr
TE	`88`	DaSaahn Brame	Fr
TE	`89`	Jack Van Dorselaer	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`0`	William Wright	Sr
DB	`1`	Rickey Gibson III	Jr
DB	`2`	Andre Turrentine	Sr
DB	`3`	Jermod McCoy	Jr
DB	`4`	Jourdan Thomas	Jr
DB	`6`	Jalen McMurray	Sr
LB	`7`	Arion Carter	Jr
DB	`9`	Jakobe Thomas	Sr
DB	`12`	John Slaughter	Jr
LB	`13`	Edwin Spillman	Fr
DB	`14`	Christian Charles	Sr
DB	`15`	Edrees Farooq	So
DL	`18`	Tyree Weathersby	So
DL	`19`	Joshua Josephs	Sr
DL	`20`	Bryson Eason	Sr
LB	`22`	Jeremiah Telander	Jr
DB	`23`	Boo Carter	So
DB	`25`	Kaleb Beasley	So
DB	`26`	Sidney Walton	Fr
DB	`27`	Ty Redmond	Fr
DB	`28`	Marcus Goree Jr.	Fr
DL	`29`	Jordan Ross	So
DL	`30`	Jamal Wallace	Jr
DL	`31`	Caleb Herring	Jr
LB	`33`	Ben Bolton	Jr
DB	`34`	Dylan Lewis	Fr
DB	`35`	Timothy Merritt	Fr
DB	`36`	Tre Poteat	Fr
DB	`37`	Montrell Bandy	Sr
DB	`38`	Andre Stewart	Jr
DL	`39`	Jayden Loftin	Fr
DB	`40`	Colin Brazzell	Fr
LB	`41`	Jadon Perlotte	Fr
DL	`42`	Tyre West	Sr
DB	`43`	Jackson Mathews	Fr
DB	`44`	Steele Katina	Fr
DL	`46`	Christian Gass	Fr
DL	`47`	Isaiah Campbell	Fr
LB	`48`	Jaedon Harmon	Fr
LB	`50`	Ryan Scott	Fr
DL	`51`	Jaxson Moi	Sr
DL	`52`	Mariyon Dye	Fr
DL	`53`	Daevin Hobbs	Jr
LB	`54`	Jordan Burns	Fr
LB	`55`	Brenden Anes	Fr
DL	`56`	Kellen Lindstrom	Fr
LB	`57`	Grier Short	Fr
DL	`58`	Herb Gray	Fr
DL	`59`	Tim Amet	Sr
DL	`87`	Joshua Helsdon	Jr
DL	`89`	Mike Bethea	Jr
DL	`90`	Dominic Bailey	Sr
DL	`94`	Nathan Robinson	So
DL	`95`	Carson Gentle	Fr
DL	`96`	Isaiah Inge	Fr
DL	`97`	Ethan Utley	Fr
DL	`98`	Emmanuel Okoye	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LS	`48`	Bennett Brady	Jr
PK	`90`	Max Gilbert	So
P/PK	`94`	Josh Turbyville	Jr
P	`98`	Jackson Ross	Jr

Head coach

Josh Heupel

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Alec Abeln – Tight ends
Tim Banks – Defensive coordinator
Evan Crabtree – Special teams coordinator
Glen Elarbee – Offensive line
Rodney Garner – Defensive line
Joey Halzle – Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks
Levorn Harbin – Outside linebackers
William Inge – Linebackers
Willie Martinez – Secondary
Kelsey Pope – Wide receivers
De'Rail Sims – Running backs
Max Thurmond – Senior offensive analyst

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

^ "2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
^ "Tennessee Football Transfer Portal". On3.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
^ Crawford, Kolby (December 29, 2024). "Tennessee transfer WR Cameron Seldon commits to Virginia Tech". 247Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Sklar, Sam (December 19, 2024). "Mississippi State football lands Jalen Smith as Tennessee transfer". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Londergan, Joe (January 27, 2025). "TRANSFER PORTAL: Tennessee WR Nate Spillman Commits To Charlotte". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Horner, Scott (January 9, 2025). "Indiana football transfer portal signs tight end Holden Staes". IndyStar. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Schumpert, Ryan (December 18, 2024). "Tennessee Transfer WR Flips Commitment From ACC To Big 10 School". Rocky Top Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Lewis, Dustin (January 5, 2025). "Florida State Lands Explosive Tennessee Wide Receiver Transfer Squirrel White". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Hall, Cora (January 7, 2025). "Tennessee football lands Alabama WR Amari Jefferson from transfer portal". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Johnson, Tanner (December 18, 2024). "Tennessee Football Lands Arizona Transfer OL Wendell Moe". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ O'Bleness, Ryan (January 26, 2025). "Notre Dame transfer offensive guard Sam Pendleton commits to Tennessee". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Giles, Matt (January 19, 2025). "Duke Football Star Announces Transfer to Tennessee". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
^ Sparks, Adam (December 11, 2024). "Tennessee football's 2025 schedule is complete: See the full list of opponents, dates". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
^ "2025 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.

[1] "2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.

[2] "Tennessee Football Transfer Portal". On3.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.

[t071-3] Crawford, Kolby (December 29, 2024). "Tennessee transfer WR Cameron Seldon commits to Virginia Tech". 247Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[x052-4] Sklar, Sam (December 19, 2024). "Mississippi State football lands Jalen Smith as Tennessee transfer". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[p672-5] Londergan, Joe (January 27, 2025). "TRANSFER PORTAL: Tennessee WR Nate Spillman Commits To Charlotte". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[y428-6] Horner, Scott (January 9, 2025). "Indiana football transfer portal signs tight end Holden Staes". IndyStar. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[q530-7] Schumpert, Ryan (December 18, 2024). "Tennessee Transfer WR Flips Commitment From ACC To Big 10 School". Rocky Top Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[t862-8] Lewis, Dustin (January 5, 2025). "Florida State Lands Explosive Tennessee Wide Receiver Transfer Squirrel White". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[n505-9] Hall, Cora (January 7, 2025). "Tennessee football lands Alabama WR Amari Jefferson from transfer portal". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[a323-10] Johnson, Tanner (December 18, 2024). "Tennessee Football Lands Arizona Transfer OL Wendell Moe". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[m839-11] O'Bleness, Ryan (January 26, 2025). "Notre Dame transfer offensive guard Sam Pendleton commits to Tennessee". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[z221-12] Giles, Matt (January 19, 2025). "Duke Football Star Announces Transfer to Tennessee". SI.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.

[13] Sparks, Adam (December 11, 2024). "Tennessee football's 2025 schedule is complete: See the full list of opponents, dates". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2024.

[14] "2025 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.

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v t e Tennessee Volunteers football
Venues	Baseball Park (1892–1893) Fountain City Park (1894) Baldwin Park (1895–1900, 1902–1905) Chilhowee Park (1901, 1907) Baker-Himel Park (1906) Waite Field (1908–1920) Neyland Stadium (1921–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama: Third Saturday in October Auburn Florida Georgia Georgia Tech Kentucky South Carolina Vanderbilt
Culture & lore	History Smokey "Rocky Top" Pride of the Southland Band Battle at Bristol Porter Cup
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold