Tennessee Volunteers
SEC
7-6 (4-4 conf)
SP+ #10
Ratings
2021
- SP+
- 17.5 (#10)
- SP+ Offense
- 39.4
- SP+ Defense
- 23.8
- SRS
- 8.0
- FPI
- 9.3
- Elo
- 1711
- Talent
- 781
- Recruiting
- 240 (#16)
Schedule
record 7–6
Schedule
33rd
toughest of 130
Offenses faced
42nd
toughest of 130
Defenses faced
29th
toughest of 130
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 130 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsBowling Green | -12.4 | 38-6 | +32 | W |
| 2 | vsPittsburgh | +17.6 | 34-41 | -7 | L |
| 3 | vsTennessee Tech | FCS | 56-0 | +56 | W |
| 4 | @Florida | +11 | 14-38 | -24 | L |
| 5 | @Missouri | +3.1 | 62-24 | +38 | W |
| 6 | vsSouth Carolina | +3.9 | 45-20 | +25 | W |
| 7 | vsOle Miss | +14.8 | 26-31 | -5 | L |
| 8 | @Alabama | +26 | 24-52 | -28 | L |
| 10 | @Kentucky | +13.4 | 45-42 | +3 | W |
| 11 | vsGeorgia | +32 | 17-41 | -24 | L |
| 12 | vsSouth Alabama | -7.2 | 60-14 | +46 | W |
| 13 | vsVanderbilt | -19.4 | 45-21 | +24 | W |
| 1 ·P | NPurdue | +10.3 | 45-48 | -3 | L |
Quarterbacks · 4
2021 · 71
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Hendon Hooker | — | — | — | — |
| QB | 2nd | Joe Milton | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Harrison Bailey | SR | 6'4" | 237 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 4th | Gaston Moore | SR | 6'2" | 212 | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Jabari Small | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 2nd | Tiyon Evans | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 3rd | Jaylen Wright | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 4th | Len'Neth Whitehead | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Marcus Pierce | — | — | — | — |
Wide Receivers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Velus Jones Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 2nd | Cedric Tillman | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | JaVonta Payton | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 4th | Jalin Hyatt | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Jimmy Holiday | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Jimmy Calloway | SR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Ramel Keyton | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Walker Merrill | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Grant Frerking | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 10th | Andison Coby | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 11th | Dee Beckwith | — | — | — | — |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jacob Warren | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Princeton Fant | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 3rd | Miles Campbell | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Hunter Salmon | — | — | — | — |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Cade Mays | — | — | — | ★★★★★ |
| OL | — | Darnell Wright | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Line · 16
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Matthew Butler | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Byron Young | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 3rd | Roman Harrison | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Tyler Baron | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Ja'Quain Blakely | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 6th | DaJon Terry | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Omari Thomas | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DL | 8th | Kurott Garland | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Caleb Tremblay | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 10th | Elijah Simmons | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 11th | Aubrey Solomon | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 12th | LaTrell Bumphus | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 13th | Bryson Eason | SR | 6'3" | 315 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 14th | Isaac Green | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 15th | Dominic Bailey | SR | 6'3" | 292 | ★★★★ |
| DL | — | Maurese Smith | — | — | — | — |
Linebackers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Jeremy Banks | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Aaron Beasley | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 3rd | Solon Page III | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 4th | William Mohan | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Juwan Mitchell | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 6th | Nick Humphrey | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 7th | Morven Joseph | SR | 6'3" | 220 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Kwauze Garland | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 9th | Aaron Willis | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Backs · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Brandon Turnage | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| CB | 2nd | De'Shawn Rucker | SR | 6'0" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Trevon Flowers | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Theo Jackson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Alontae Taylor | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Jaylen McCollough | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Warren Burrell | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 6th | Doneiko Slaughter | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Kamal Hadden | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 8th | Christian Charles | SR | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| DB | 9th | Tamarion McDonald | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 10th | Kenneth George Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 11th | Cheyenne Labruzza | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 12th | William Wright | SR | 6'0" | 198 | ★★★★★ |
| S | — | CJ Taylor | — | — | — | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Matthew Salanasky | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Kolby Morgan | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 1st | Chase McGrath | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 2nd | Paxton Brooks | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| PK | — | JT Carver | — | — | — | — |
2021 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
39.495
Off PPA
+0.2988
Pass PPA
+0.3776
Rush PPA
+0.2378
Success
49%90
Explosive
1.2236
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2021 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.29 | +0.19 |
| Passing | +0.37 | +0.23 |
| Rushing | +0.23 | +0.18 |
| 1st Down | +0.19 | +0.01 |
| 2nd Down | +0.30 | +0.07 |
| 3rd Down | +0.59 | +0.65 |
Scoring Trend
2021 · pts/game
PPG For
38.8
PPG Against
27.5
Differential
+11.3
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2021
- Overall
- 7-5
- Home
- 5-3
- Away
- 2-2
- Conference
- 4-4
- Non-Conference
- 3-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 1-2
- Avg Margin
- +11.3
Situational Splits
2021 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-3 | 40.1 | 21.8 |
| Away | 2-2 | 36.3 | 39.0 |
| Neutral | 0-1 | 45.0 | 48.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 1-4 | 29.2 | 41.4 |
| Conference | 4-4 | 34.8 | 33.6 |
| Non-conference | 3-2 | 46.6 | 21.8 |
Season History · last 12
3 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #19 | #11 | 0-1 |
| 2024 | 10-2 | 6-2 | #9 | #4 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #14 | #9 | 1-0 |
| 2022 | 10-2 | 6-2 | #5 | #2 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #10 | — | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 3-7 | 3-7 | #63 | — | — |
| 2019 | 7-5 | 5-3 | #29 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 5-7 | 2-6 | #48 | — | — |
| 2017 | 4-8 | 0-8 | #67 | — | — |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #15 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #12 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 3-5 | #30 | — | 1-0 |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 2-2 ATS · O4/U0
Betting Profile
2021 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 7-6 |
| ATS | 5-742% |
| Over / Under | 9-3 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 4-2 |
| As underdog | 1-5 |
| Home | 3-5 |
| Away | 2-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #13 · 126 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★202 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11 | 278 | 1 | 16 | 4 |
| 2024 | #14 | 267 | 2 | 11 | 4 |
| 2023 | #10 | 277 | 1 | 13 | 6 |
| 2022 | #18 | 233 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| 2021 | #16 | 240 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 2020 | #10 | 262 | 0 | 13 | 4 |
| 2019 | #13 | 269 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| 2018 | #21 | 231 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| 2017 | #17 | 237 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| 2016 | #14 | 254 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
talent #19
Returning prod 31%Departed 69%
Talent composite780.8 #19 / 224
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)28 / 15 / 43
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2021
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- 2026 Tennessee football preview: David Sanders Jr.2026 Tennessee football preview: Offensive lineman David Sanders Jr.TENN16h
- Josh Heupel likely to absorb a loss to Shane Beamer, but it shouldn't be too much of a surprise for TennesseeTennessee could be on the verge of losing a target they once were in a good spot with.TENN17h
- 2027 Three-Star LB Jackson Ross Commits to South CarolinaSouth Carolina stays hot on the recruiting trail with their fourth addition to the class of the week. Three-star linebacker Jackson Ross announces his commitmen
- 2026 Tennessee football preview: Jesse Perry2026 Tennessee football preview: Offensive lineman Jesse Perry
- Former NFL MVP Cam Newton is quietly influencing the Tennessee Vols' future offense under Josh HeupelFormer NFL MVP and Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton is quietly influencing the Tennessee Vols' future offense under Josh Heupel -- though he probably doesn't even realize it.TENN2d
- Texas vs Tennessee matchup deeper than alma mater for Peyton ManningPeyton Manning was extremely noncommittal in who he was rooting for in Texas vs Tennessee, but does say family is most important.TENN2d
- Peyton Manning says picking between Tennessee, Texas will be a ‘no-brainer’Peyton Manning will not have trouble picking between his alma mater and his nephew's Texas Longhorns when they play this fall. The post Peyton Manning says picking between Tennessee, Texas will be a ‘no-brainer’ appeared first on Saturday Down South.TENN2d
- SEC football recruiting rankings after Marcus Jones' commitmentUpdated 2027 SEC football recruiting rankings after Marcus Jones' commitment to Tennessee.TENN2d
- Three things that must go right for Tennessee football in 2026A look ahead to this fall.TENN2d
- Tennessee duo earns spot on Athlon Sports Preseason All-America TeamTennessee was well-represented as Athlon Sports released its elite players for the 2026 season, which will begin in just a few months. The post Tennessee duo earns spot on Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Team appeared first on Saturday Down South.TENN3d
- Tennessee football lands 4-star safety Marcus Jones, nephew of former Vols starFour-star safety Marcus Jones, the nephew of former Vols standout Mark Jones, has committed to Tennessee football.TENN3d
- 2027 Pennsylvania safety commits to Tennessee footballA 2027 four-safety from Pennsylvania commits to Tennessee football over three other schools.TENN3d
- Tennessee beats Michigan, Ole Miss and UNC for four-star safety Marcus JonesHaverford School (Pa.) Rivals300 safety Marcus Jones has committed to Tennessee. The four-star prospect chose to play for head coach Josh Heupel and the Vols over his other finalists in Michigan, Ole Miss and North Carolina. “Tennessee has shown me constant love,” Jones told Rivals. “The new staff coming in is looking to make an […]TENN3d
- Tennessee baseball adds Baylor IF, Wright State OF out of transfer portalTennessee baseball added a commitment from a former Wright State outfielder. The post Tennessee baseball adds Baylor IF, Wright State OF out of transfer portal appeared first on Saturday Down South.TENN3d
- Tennessee parts ways with star transfer, per reportTennessee has reportedly parted ways with one of its top transfer additions, saying he has been 'medically disqualified' from the roster. The post Tennessee parts ways with star transfer, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.TENN3d
- Butch Jones leaves no doubt how he feels about Knoxville and Tennessee nearly 10 years after he was firedFormer Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones reflected this week on his time at Rocky Top and made it clear how he feels about Knoxville.TENN4d
- Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs see value in a player that Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols apparently didn'tKirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are betting that their evaluation of a 2027 recruit is better than the Tennessee Vols' evaluation.TENN4d
- Two Tennessee starters received an honor from a popular college football video game, and one might not be who many fans would expectEA Sports is gearing up for the latest release of College Football 27, and not too many Vols are getting high-end love from the game developer.TENN4d
- 4-star defensive lineman backs out of Tennessee commitmentKadin Fife is having second thoughts about joining the Volunteers in 2027.TENN4d
- 2026 Tennessee football preview: Shamurad Umarov2026 Tennessee football preview: Offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov