Draft Scout Tennessee Player News, College Football: Tennessee

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Tennessee

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07/26/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

The Volunteers return promise for head coach Josh Heupel's second season, picked by many to finish second in the division. Heupel's high-flying offense helped Tennessee improve last season, finishing with a 7-6 record. Heupel has a returning quarterback this year in Hendon Hooker, who is once again expected to electrify the Volunteer attack. "Has taken great strides in offseason," Heupel said. "A young man that had an opportunity to declare for the draft, came back to our program I believe because of the culture we have, the improvements he knew he could make in coming back and helping his career." - Columbia Daily Tribune

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
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07/26/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, one of the SEC's best quarterbacks, is getting paid for his name, image and likeness. Few people see a problem with that. Numerous media reports have speculated that Vols commitment Nico Iamaleava, a five-star quarterback, also has a lucrative NIL deal more than year before playing for the Vols. He lives in California, where high school players can be paid for their NIL. The amount of either contract has not been confirmed, as most athletes and collectives are silent about their NIL terms. Is it fair for a 17-year-old high school senior to be paid like a 24-year-old sixth-year college senior? At SEC Media Days on Thursday, Hooker did not name Iamaleava nor was he asked about a specific recruit. But he had a definitive opinion on the topic.

"To each his own. It's a blessing," Hooker said. "If I was coming out (of high school), I would want to get paid too. There are some guys that are special out there that have earned that. "At the end of the day, they put in the same work that we put in. So why shouldn't they be rewarded as well?" But Hooker was quick to note that players must still earn playing time, regardless of their NIL deals. "But when you get there (to college), you've still got to show up," Hooker said. "I would for sure say, 'Take advantage of (NIL), young guys, and continue to work hard." - Knoxville News Sentinel

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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07/25/22 - Jacob Warren, rSr/2024, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON JOHN MACKEY AWARD WATCH LIST: JACOB WARREN, TENNESSEE,...The Knoxville native and product of Farragut High School is coming off the best season of his collegiate career, tallying a career-best 18 catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns in 2021, appearing in all 13 games while making six starts. Warren is a member of the team's leadership council and is a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, as well. He is expected to have an even bigger role in Tennessee's high-powered offense this season in year two under head coach Josh Heupel. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2024

TE Jacob Warren, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/25/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

Tennessee bought space on a Times Square video board in New York City earlier this week. Quarterback Hendon Hooker and receiver Cedric Tillman were in New York visiting various businesses, including NASDAQ, as part of their Name, Image and Likeness deals Tuesday. Their Images, with a Tennessee orange and white checkerboard in the background, graced the video board at Times Square and 42nd Street. - Northwest Arkansas Times

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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07/25/22 - Jabari Small, Sr/2024, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON DOAK WALKER AWARD CANDIDATE: Jabari Small (Jr.), Tennessee,...Running back Jabari Small (5-11, 213) is versatile and shifty. He returns as Tennessee's starter at the position … Outstanding vision, work ethic and leadership … Comes from a family pedigree of SEC players, including his father and All-SEC uncles … Finished 2021 as UT's leading rusher and has three seasons of remaining eligibility ... Arrived at Tennessee after a heralded prep career in Memphis and is coached by Memphis native Jerry Mack … An honor student in the classroom who is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll … Selected to the 2021-22 VOLeaders Academy and traveled to Rwanda in the summer of 2022 … Played in 21 games and made 11 starts in career … Heads into his third season with 913 rushing yards on 167 attempts with nine touchdowns … Also caught 13 passes for 101 yards for 1,014 all-purpose yards … Produced three 100-yard rushing contests. - Tennessee Football

Sr/2024

RB Jabari Small, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/22/22 - Cedric Tillman, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST: Cedric Tillman, Tennessee,... Big, physical wide receiver who is one of the top returning playmakers in all of college football, Tennessee quarterback Cedric Tillman will be up for numerous postseason awards … Statistically, is the top returning receiver in the SEC after exploding as a junior in his first year in Josh Heupel's system … Elected to return for his fifth season in 2022 … Played in 38 games while making 15 starts during his career ... Tremendous hands and has a knack for making highlight reel plays … Caught 72 passes for 1,205 yards and 14 touchdowns … His 14 receiving TDs rank tied for 12th in Vol career annals.

Tallied 20 catches of 20+ yards, 11 catches of 30+ yards and nine receptions of 40+ yards ... Produced five 100-yard receiving games, including four straight entering the 2022 season … Owns the school record for consecutive games with a TD catch at seven, a streak that continues entering 2022 … Also shares the school game record for TD catches with three … Prepped in Nevada before signing with the Vols … Three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll … Graduated from Tennessee in December in 2021 and enrolled in graduate school classes. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2023

WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/22/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee,... A 2022 National Player of the Year candidate who is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the nation, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is a dynamic dual-threat graduate transfer who joined the Vols in January 2021 … Earned his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and spent four seasons with the Hokies prior to transferring to Knoxville … Elected to return for his sixth and final collegiate season and second season at UT … At age 24, is one of the leaders on the team … Played in 38 games with 26 career starts … Was 8-7 as a starter at Virginia Tech, completing 197-of-312 passes for 2,894 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air, while rushing for 1,033 yards on 247 carries and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Owns a 6-5 record as a starter at Tennessee with the offense averaging 39.9 points per game and 483.5 yards per game in those 11 contests … For his entire collegiate career, has put up 7,488 yards of total offense, completing 403-of-615 passes (65.5 percent) for 5,839 yards and 53 touchdowns with 10 interceptions ... Added 1,649 yards on 413 carries with 20 scores on the ground, including three 100-yard rushing games … Owns three 300-yard passing games, including two at UT … Carries a streak of 12 consecutive games with a touchdown pass into 2022, which is the third-longest streak in school history … Has produced 11 games with at least one rushing touchdown and one passing score, including five at UT … Comes from a family pedigree of quarterbacks, including his father and brother. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/22/22 - Cedric Tillman, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST: Cedric Tillman, Tennessee,...Tillman emerged as one of the SEC's best playmakers in 2021, finishing the year with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Las Vegas native rounded out his redshirt junior season ranking ninth in the SEC in catches, fifth in receiving yards, third in touchdowns and third in average yards per catch (16.9). He was especially productive against AP Top 25 competition, finishing fourth in the nation with 535 yards and four touchdowns against ranked foes. In Tennessee single-season annals, Tillman ranked tied for eighth in catches, fourth in receiving yards and tied for second with Cedrick Wilson (2000) in touchdowns. He caught a TD pass in a school-record seven consecutive games to end the season, including a combined five in the final two games of the year. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2023

WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/19/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON DAVEY O'BRIEN NATIONAL QUARTERBACK AWARD WATCH LIST: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee, Sr., 6-4, 218, Greensboro, N.C.,...A 2021 Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, Hooker shattered single-season program records for completion percentage (68.0) and passer efficiency rating (181.4) last fall in his debut season on Rocky Top. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native produced 3,561 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns during the 2021 campaign, his first at UT after transferring to Knoxville from Virginia Tech. Hooker played in all 13 games with 11 starts in 2021, completing 206-of-303 passes for 2,945 yards and 31 touchdowns with three interceptions. His 2,945 passing yards were fourth-most in the SEC, while his 9.7 yards per passing attempt ranked second in the league and fourth in the nation. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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07/16/22 - Bru McCoy, rSr/2025, Tennessee + More +

Bru McCoy has dropped his legal action challenging a 2021 emergency order that removed him from the USC campus a few days after a felony domestic violence arrest involving an ex-girlfriend. McCoy, a talented wide receiver from Santa Ana Mater Dei High, transferred to Tennessee in May. He played for USC as a freshman in 2020 but sat out 2021 because he was barred from campus. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff dismissed the case Tuesday, four days after McCoy made the request in a court filing. McCoy had filed the legal action in August, stating that the university had no evidence to support its contention that McCoy posed an immediate threat to the physical health or safety of anyone and that his indefinite suspension was not supported by the facts of the case.

USC had kept the suspension in place through the 2021 season even though the Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to file charges in August, citing insufficient evidence in a case it referred to as "he said, she said domestic violence." McCoy and his accuser met in high school and dated periodically since. The incident that led to his arrest for domestic violence occurred at his off-campus apartment July 24, 2021. In the woman's application for a temporary restraining order against McCoy last August, she wrote that McCoy "kicked and punched me multiple times in the ribs, strangled my neck then head butted me in the nose fracturing it, spit in my face repeatedly, pinned me down and used my arms to force me to hit myself in the face and head." - Los Angeles Times

rSr/2025

WR Bru McCoy, Tennessee
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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07/09/22 - Keenan Pili, rSr/2025, Tennessee + More +

By the end of the 2021 season, BYU football fans were having a hard time telling who was on the field defensively without a roster in front of them. Two of the more significant injuries were to linebackers Keenan Pili and Payton Wilgar. Pili opened the season with a 17-tackle performance against Arizona but played only three games before a knee injury took him out for the year. Wilgar played in ten games and had a career-best 11 tackles against Virginia but suffered a torn labrum the next week and didn't play in the final three games.

Both players are co-captains, so their leadership was missed as much as their on-field play. Fast forward to this summer and both players are healthy and expected to make a huge impact. Pili is a 6-foot-3, 233 pound junior from Provo with 128 tackles in his career, including seven tackles for loss. He said the time he spent watching the game from the sideline after his injury was beneficial. Wilgar is a 6-3, 235-pound junior from St. George. He has 168 total tackles in his career with five interceptions and nine pass breakups. - Daily Herald

rSr/2025

ILB Keenan Pili, Tennessee
News Source: Daily Herald
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07/01/22 - Bru McCoy, rSr/2025, Tennessee + More +

Bru McCoy sat out his sophomore season after being accused and arrested of domestic assault. The case was eventually dropped, but McCoy left the Trojans for a second time anyway - in 2019 he departed Southern Cal and went to Texas briefly before returning. Since he had already used his free transfer, McCoy will need a waiver from the NCAA in order to play this season. If he does receive it, he could be a big boost to Tennessee's stellar offense. McCoy is a former five-star recruit and the No. 9 player in the nation out of Mater Dei High School in California.

"Bru (has a) big catch radius, great hands, is very smart, very knowledgeable of the game," Hooker said. "He works extremely hard. He comes in every day to take care of his body...He takes it seriously. He wants to be a pro about things, and that's how we expect him to be." Tennessee had one of the best offenses in the nation last season, despite being in the most difficult conference in college football. Among SEC teams, the Vols trailed only Alabama in points while finishing second in the conference in rushing yards per game and third in total yards. - Knoxville News Sentinel

rSr/2025

WR Bru McCoy, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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06/28/22 - Lyn-J Dixon, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

Former Clemson running back Lyn-J Dixon is once again looking for a new home, per a Monday report. Dixon, who transferred from Clemson to West Virginia last fall, has entered the transfer portal ahead of the Mountaineers' 2022 season, as first reported by Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports. Dixon, a former four-star recruit, rushed for 1,420 yards and 13 touchdowns across four seasons and 41 career games for the Tigers. Effective as a change-of-pace back behind now-NFLer Travis Etienne, Dixon was a prime candidate for Clemson's starting running back position last season but ultimately split carries with Kobe Pace and Will Shipley. Dixon entered the transfer portal in September 2021 after three games with Clemson, later saying there were no hard feelings between him and coach Dabo Swinney, running backs coach CJ Spiller or anyone else at Clemson. - The State

rSr/2023

RB Lyn-J Dixon, Tennessee
News Source: The State
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06/24/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

The Vols averaged 39.3 points last season to rank seventh nationally. They accomplished that with a new coaching staff, new offensive system, new quarterback and a new lead running back. Not only does UT return most of the contributors to that offense, it has added Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy, a former five-star recruit. McCoy and Jalin Hyatt, who impressed coaches in the spring, could give the Vols one of the top frontline receiving corps in the conference.

Combine those receivers with Hendon Hooker and it's not farfetched to think the Vols could lead the nation in scoring. UT's schedule could help. Regardless of their talent level, SEC opponents might have a better read on Tennessee's up-tempo offense. But that's not saying much. Secondaries, in particular, struggled terribly to keep up with UT receivers last season. And whatever advantage opponents gain from having studied more video could be offset by the Vols' familiarity with Heupel's system. That familiarity could enable Tennessee to average better than 40 points. - Knoxville News Sentinel

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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06/22/22 - Cedric Tillman, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman flew under the radar in 2021 despite catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. From a production standpoint, he is the SEC's top returning wide receiver. But he is not just a possession guy, nor is his production solely dependent upon Tennessee's explosive scheme. At 6-foot-3, Tillman has underrated speed and big-lay ability. Plus, there are few receivers nationally that are better at bringing down 50/50 balls than Tillman. He is not a burner, but he seemingly has all the traits an NFL executive would covet as an outside receiver. Another big year and he has serious first-round upside. - The Tennessean

rSr/2023