2024 Tennessee Volunteers football team

2024 Tennessee Volunteers football
2024 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 6
Record	3–0 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach	Josh Heupel (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Joey Halzle (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tim Banks (4th season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 Tennessee Volunteers football team represents the University of Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers head coach is Josh Heupel,^[1] who is in his fourth year. The team plays its home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

2024 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Georgia	1	–	0	3	–	0
No. 16 LSU	1	–	0	2	–	1
No. 25 Texas A&M	1	–	0	2	–	1
South Carolina	1	–	1	2	–	1
No. 4 Alabama	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 7 Missouri	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 15 Oklahoma	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 5 Ole Miss	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 6 Tennessee	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 1 Texas	0	–	0	3	–	0
Arkansas	0	–	0	2	–	1
Auburn	0	–	0	2	–	1
Vanderbilt	0	–	0	2	–	1
Mississippi State	0	–	0	1	–	2
Florida	0	–	1	1	–	2
Kentucky	0	–	2	1	–	2
Championship: December 7, 2024
As of September 17, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Gerald Mincey	OT	Kentucky
Wesley Walker	S	Louisville
Tamarion McDonald	S	Louisville
Doneiko Slaughter	CB	Arkansas
De'Shawn Rucker	CB	South Florida
Tyler Baron	EDGE	Miami (FL)
Connor Meadows	OL	Tennessee State
Addison Nichols	OL	Arkansas
Mo Clipper Jr.	OL	Charlotte
Jack Luttrel	S	Arizona
Brandon Turnage	CB	Ole Miss
Warren Burrel	CB	Georgia Tech
Elijah Herring	LB	Memphis

Incoming

Player	Position	Former Team
Miles Kitselman	TE	Alabama
Zalance Heard	OL	LSU
Jakobe Thomas	S	Middle Tennessee
Holden Staes	TE	Notre Dame
Jermod McCoy	CB	Oregon State
Jaxson Moi	DL	Stanford
Jalen McMurray	CB	Temple
Chris Brazzell II	WR	Tulane
Eli Purcell	LB	Wofford

Roster

2024 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`1`	Dont'e Thornton Jr.	Sr
RB	`6`	Dylan Sampson	Jr
QB	`8`	Nico Iamaleava	Fr
WR	`10`	Squirrel White	Jr
WR	`11`	Chris Brazzell II	So
QB	`12`	Jake Merklinger	Fr
QB	`13`	Gaston Moore	Sr
WR	`14`	Braylon Staley	Fr
WR	`15`	Bru McCoy	Sr
QB	`18`	Ryan Damron	Fr
TE	`19`	Holden Staes	Jr
RB	`20`	Khalifa Keith	So
QB	`21`	Navy Shuler	Sr
RB	`22`	Peyton Lewis	Fr
RB	`23`	Cameron Seldon	So
RB	`25`	DeSean Bishop	Fr
TE	`27`	Emmanuel Okoye	Fr
RB	`28`	Patrick Wilk	Jr
WR	`29`	Jack-Henry Jakobik	Fr
WR	`31`	Jackson Locke	Jr
WR	`35`	Garrett Young	Fr
WR	`36`	Nathan Roberts	Fr
RB	`42`	Hunter Barnes	So
TE	`43`	Titus Rohrer	So
TE	`44`	Luke Shouse	Sr
TE	`46`	Cody Duncan	Jr
OL	`50`	William Satterwhite	Fr
OL	`51`	Vysen Lang	Fr
OL	`53`	Lance Heard	So
OL	`63`	Cooper Mays	Sr
OL	`64`	Ayden Bussell	Fr
OL	`65`	Parker Ball	Sr
OL	`66`	Dayne Davis	Sr
OL	`68`	Masai Reddick	So
OL	`69`	Gus Hill	So
OL	`70`	Andrej Karic	Sr
OL	`71`	Max Anderson	Fr
OL	`72`	Jesse Perry	Fr
OL	`73`	Brian Grant	So
OL	`74`	John Campbell Jr.	Sr
OL	`75`	Jackson Lampley	Sr
OL	`76`	Javontez Spraggins	Sr
OL	`77`	Larry Johnson III	So
OL	`78`	Gage Ginther	Fr
OL	`79`	Shamurad Umarov	Fr
WR	`80`	Nate Spillman	Fr
WR	`81`	Chas Nimrod	So
WR	`82`	Dayton Sneed	Fr
WR	`83`	Trey Weary	So
WR	`84`	Kaleb Webb	So
WR	`85`	Nathan Leacock	Fr
TE	`86`	Ethan Davis	Fr
TE	`87`	Miles Kitselman	Sr
TE	`88`	Charlie Browder	Jr
WR	`89`	Mike Matthews	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`7`	Arion Carter	So
DL	`10`	Elijah Simmons	Sr
LB	`11`	Keenan Pili	Sr
DB	`12`	Jalen McMurray	Jr
DB	`13`	Jermod McCcoy	So
DB	`14`	Christian Charles	Jr
DB	`15`	Cristian Conyer	So
DB	`17`	Andre Turrentine	Jr
DB	`18`	Rickey Gibson III	So
DL	`19`	Joshua Josephs	Jr
DL	`20`	Bryson Eason	Sr
DL	`21`	Omari Thomas	Sr
LB	`22`	Jeremiah Telander	So
DB	`23`	Boo Carter	Fr
DB	`24`	Jordan Matthews	Fr
DB	`25`	Jourdan Thomas	Jr
DB	`26`	Edrees Farooq	Fr
DB	`26`	Carson Whitehead	So
DE	`27`	James Pearce Jr.	Jr
DB	`28`	Kaleb Beasley	Fr
DB	`29`	Christian Harrison	Jr
DB	`30`	Jakobe Thomas	Jr
DL	`31`	Caleb Herring	So
DB	`33`	John Slaughter	So
DB	`34`	Marcus Goree Jr.	Fr
DB	`35`	Will Brooks	Sr
DB	`36`	William Wright	Sr
DB	`37`	Montrell Bandy	Jr
DL	`38`	Chandavian Bradley	Fr
LB	`39`	Jalen Smith	Fr
LB	`40`	Kalib Perry	Jr
DL	`41`	Tyree Weathersby	Fr
DL	`42`	Tyre West	Jr
DB	`46`	Malik Ganaway	So
LB	`47`	Edwin Spillman	Fr
DL	`51`	Tim Amet	Jr
LB	`52`	Eli Purcell	Sr
DL	`53`	Daevin Hobbs	So
DL	`55`	Omarr Norman-Lott	Sr
DL	`56`	Kellen Lindstrom	Fr
LB	`57`	Ben Bolton	So
DL	`65`	Camron Douglas	So
DL	`87`	Joshua Helsdon	So
DL	`90`	Dominic Bailey	Sr
DL	`93`	Donald Palmer	Jr
DL	`94`	Nathan Robinson	Fr
DL	`95`	Trevor Duncan	Fr
DL	`97`	Jayson Jenkins	So
DL	`99`	Jaxson Moi	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
PK	`41`	JT Carver	Jr
LS	`47`	Matthew Salansky	Sr
LS	`48`	Bennett Brady	So
PK	`90`	Max Gilbert	Fr
P/PK	`94`	Josh Turbyville	So
P	`98`	Jackson Ross	So

Head coach

Josh Heupel

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Joey Halzle – Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks
Tim Banks – Defensive coordinator
Mike Ekeler – Special teams coordinator/Outside linebackers
Alec Abeln – Tight ends
Glen Elarbee – Offensive line
Rodney Garner – Defensive line
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

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:45 p.m.	No. 9 (FCS) Chattanooga*	No. 15	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	W 69–3	101,915
September 7	7:30 p.m.	vs. No. 24 NC State*	No. 14	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Duke's Mayo Classic)	ABC	W 51–10	72,730
September 14	7:45 p.m.	Kent State*	No. 7	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	W 71–0	101,915
September 21	7:30 p.m.	at No. 15 Oklahoma	No. 6	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (College GameDay)	ABC
October 5		at Arkansas		Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR
October 12		Florida		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
October 19		Alabama		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)
November 2		Kentucky		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
November 9		Mississippi State		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN
November 16		at Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)
November 23	1:00 p.m.	UTEP*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN+/ESPN+
November 30		at Vanderbilt		FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll All times are in Eastern time

^[2]

Game summaries

vs. No. 9 (FCS) Chattanooga

Game One – No. 9 (FCS) Chattanooga Mocs (0–0) vs No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 (FCS) Chattanooga	0	0	3	0	3
No. 15 Tennessee	24	21	10	14	69

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: August 31, 2024
Game time: 12:45 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
Game attendance: 101,915
Referee: Jason Autrey
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(11:09) TENN – Dylan Sampson 1-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 3:43; Tennessee 7–0)
(08:34) TENN – Ethan Davis 4-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:03; Tennessee 14–0)
(07:18) TENN – Dont'e Thornton Jr. 36-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:26; Tennessee 21–0)
(08:34) TENN – Max Gilbert 36-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 2:28; Tennessee 24–0)

Second quarter

(14:03) TENN – Dylan Sampson 3-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 1:59; Tennessee 31–0)
(10:14) TENN – Dont'e Thornton Jr. 10-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 1:55; Tennessee 38–0)
(06:43) TENN – Dylan Sampson 5-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:16; Tennessee 45–0)

Third quarter

(10:10) UTC – Jude Kelley 43-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:50; Tennessee 45–3)
(07:15) TENN – Max Gilbert 42-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards, 2:54; Tennessee 48–3)
(01:13) TENN – DeSean Bishop 3-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:33; Tennessee 55–3)

Fourth quarter

(04:06) TENN – Khalifa Keith 1-yard run (Josh Turbyville kick) (Drive: 17 plays, 80 yards, 7:05; Tennessee 62–3)
(01:07) TENN – Jordan Ross 13-yard punt return (Josh Turbyville kick) (Tennessee 69–3)

Statistics	Chattanooga	Tennessee
First downs	10	36
Total yards	227	718
Rushes/yards	35/92	46/311
Passing yards	153	414
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–24–0	33–44–1
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	30:46	29:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing	Chase Artopoeus	12/23, 141 yards
	Rushing	Reggie Davis	20 carries, 59 yards
	Receiving	Sam Philips	5 receptions, 54 yards
Tennessee	Passing	Nico Iamaleava	22/28, 314 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Dylan Sampson	12 carries, 124 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Dont'e Thornton Jr.	3 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD

vs. No. 24 NC State

Game Two – No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers (1–0) vs No. 24 NC State Wolfpack (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Tennessee	7	13	17	14	51
No. 24 NC State	0	3	7	0	10

at Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC

Date: September 7, 2024
Game time: 7:30 PM
Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
Game attendance: 72,730
Referee: Kole Knueppel
TV announcers (ABC): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(00:09) TENN – Dylan Sampson 9-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:10; Tennessee 7–0)

Second quarter

(09:04) NCST – Kanoah Vinesett 24-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:30; Tennessee 7–3)
(06:33) TENN – Max Gilbert 32-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:31; Tennessee 10–3)
(03:29) TENN – Will Brooks 85-yard interception (Max Gilbert kick) (Tennessee 17–3)
(00:00) TENN – Max Gilbert 45-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 1:44; Tennessee 20–3)

Third quarter

(10:27) TENN – Miles Kitselman 15-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:33; Tennessee 27–3)
(06:31) TENN – Max Gilbert 36-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:40; Tennessee 30–3)
(04:02) TENN – Nico Iamaleava 31-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:43; Tennessee 37–3)
(02:20) NCST – Aydan White 87-yard interception (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Tennessee 37–10)

Fourth quarter

(14:07) TENN – Dylan Sampson 34-yard run (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 3:13; Tennessee 44–10)
(08:22) TENN – Holden Staes 18-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 2:58; Tennessee 51–10)

Statistics	TENN	NCST
First downs	22	10
Total yards	460	143
Rushing yards	249	39
Passing yards	211	104
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–23–2	15–22–1
Time of possession	31:28	28:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing	Nico Iamaleava	16/23, 211 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Dylan Sampson	20 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Squirrel White	2 receptions, 67 yards
NC State	Passing	Grayson McCall	15/22, 104 yards
	Rushing	Hollywood Smothers	6 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	Kevin "KC" Concepcion	5 receptions, 53 yards

vs. Kent State

Game Three – Kent State Golden Flashes (0–2) vs No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	0	0	0	0	0
No. 7 Tennessee	37	28	3	3	71

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 7:45 p.m.
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)

Statistics	KSU	TENN
First downs	8	32
Total yards	112	740
Rushes/yards	54	456
Passing yards	58	284
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession	28:15	31:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Devin Kargman	9/15, 58 yards
	Rushing	JD Sherrod	7 carries, 56 yards
	Receiving	Chrishon McCray	3 receptions, 27 yards
Tennessee	Passing	Nico Iamaleava Gaston Moore	10/16, 173 yards, 1 TD 4/4, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	DeSean Bishop Dylan Sampson	7 carries, 120 yards, 2 TD 13 carries, 101 yards, 4 TD
	Receiving	Dont'e Thornton Jr Chris Brazzell II Mike Matthews\|\| 2 receptions, 64 yards 2 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD 2 receptions, 35 yards, 1 TD

at No. 15 Oklahoma

Game Four – No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (3–0) vs No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (3–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0
No. 15 Oklahoma	-	-	-	-	0

at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma

Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)

Statistics	TENN	OU
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

at Arkansas

Game Five – Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) vs Arkansas Razorbacks (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0
Arkansas	-	-	-	-	0

at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024

Statistics	TENN	ARK
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Vs. Florida

Game Six – Florida Gators (0-0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	-	-	-	-	0
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024

Statistics	FLA	TENN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Vs. Alabama

Game Seven – Alabama Crimson Tide (0-0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Alabama	-	-	-	-	0
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Statistics	ALA	TENN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Vs. Kentucky

Game Eight – Kentucky Wildcats (0-0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	-	-	-	-	0
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Statistics	UK	TENN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Vs. Mississippi State

Game Nine – Mississippi State Bulldogs (0-0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mississippi State	-	-	-	-	0
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024

Statistics	MSU	TENN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

at Georgia

Game Ten – Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) vs Georgia Bulldogs (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0
Georgia	-	-	-	-	0

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Statistics	TENN	UGA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Vs. UTEP

Game Eleven – UTEP Miners (0-0) vs Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
UTEP	-	-	-	-	0
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024

Statistics	UTEP	TENN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

at Vanderbilt

Game Twelve – Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) vs Oklahoma Sooners (0-0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	-	-	-	-	0
Vanderbilt	-	-	-	-	0

at FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024

Statistics	TENN	VAN
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	15	14	7	6
Coaches	15	12	9	7
CFP	Not released																Not released

References

^ "Josh Heupel - Head Coach - Staff Directory". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
^ "2024 Football Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2023.

[1] "Josh Heupel - Head Coach - Staff Directory". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2023.

[2] "2024 Football Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2023.

[1]

[2]