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2021 SEC CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee,...Jones leads the SEC in punt return average (16.0) and ranks second in kickoff return average (28.1). He leads all active FBS players with 2,851 career kickoff return yards. Jones was named SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown against South Alabama. - SEC Football

(DS#29 WR) rSr/2022

WR Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
News Source: SEC Football
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11/27/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Hendon Hooker threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 75 yards to lead Tennessee to a 45-21 season-ending Southeastern Conference victory over Vanderbilt Saturday. Jabari Small rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns as the Volunteers (7-5, 4-4) grabbed bragging rights over their intrastate rival Commodores (2-10, 0-8). Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman caught six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, After taking a hit on an option play, Hooker left the game with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter holding his left hand. He was replaced by Joe Milton.

The Vols and their high-octane offense had their six scoring drives total 11 minutes, 26 seconds time of possession. Commodores quarterback Mike Wright collected 198 passing yards and a TD. Rocko Griffin rushed for 104 yards and a score. Vanderbilt waited until the last play of the first half for its only highlight. Down 24-0, Wright heaved a desperation pass 56 yards and, with three Vols around him, Will Sheppard hauled it in in the end zone. Defensive back Theo Jackson scored Tennessee's first touchdown with a 45-yard interception return. - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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11/24/21 - McCallan Castles, rSr/2024, Tennessee, 6-4, 244 (DS#14 TE) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): TE: McCallan Castles, UC Davis,...Castles finished the regular season as UC Davis' second-leading receiver with 363 yards and averaged 14.52 yards per catch with four touchdowns. He was also part of the blocking scheme for a run game that averaged 175 yards per game this season. - California-Davis Football

(DS#14 TE) rSr/2024

TE McCallan Castles, Tennessee
News Source: California-Davis Football
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11/21/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

All season, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has stressed maintaining a high competitive level, no matter the opponent. Saturday night, thanks to a 60-14 win over South Alabama, Heupel's players proved they got the message. "They answered my question," Heupel said. "Who are we going to be? We were assignment sound. We took care of business." Hendon Hooker threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Tennessee. The nonconference win gives the Volunteers (6-5) bowl eligibility in Heupel's first season. The Jaguars (5-6) have one more try to reach that level under first-year coach Kane Wommack. "(Bowl eligibility) is important for sure," Heupel said. "Nobody focused on that part of it. We just wanted to continue to grow and compete. Now we have an opportunity to grow and compete in December." Hooker connected on 17 of 20 passes, with touchdowns going to Cedric Tillman (27 yards) and Princeton Fant (24).

Jabari Small rushed for 73 yards and a pair of TDs. Jalen Wright and Len'Neth Whitehead also scored one on the ground. "(We were) hitting on every angle," Hooker said. "We're trying to tire you out tonight." "(Hooker) keeps being aggressive," Heupel said. "He's a competitor." Besides an offense that collected 561 yards, the Vols defense stifled the Jaguars with 1 of 16 in third-down conversions and had 13 tackles for loss. "We did a good job of maxing things out (on defense)," Heupel said. "We had pressure on their quarterback." - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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11/12/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

NOV 8 SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee,...Hooker was spectacular in leading Tennessee to a 45-42 high-scoring win at No. 18 Kentucky as he accounted for four touchdowns and 357 yards of total offense...He averaged an incredible 11.52 yards per play. It was the Vols' first ranked win on the road vs. a top 20 opponent since 2006, while the 45 points were Tennessee's most vs. a ranked opponent on the road since Oct. 7, 2006 (51 at No. 10 Georgia)...Hooker finished an efficient 15-of-20 for a career-best 316 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He also added 41 yards on the ground. Hooker fired multiple touchdown passes over 70 yards, becoming the first Vol QB since at least 2000 to achieve the feat in the same game and the only player in the SEC this season to do it in a conference game...Hooker moved into a tie for the national lead in 70+ yard touchdowns on the season with four, while elevating his QB passer rating to 190.01, good for fourth in the nation...He also surpassed Peyton Manning (20 in 1996) for 10th place in Tennessee all-time single-season touchdown passes with 21. - SEC Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: SEC Football
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11/12/21 - Cade Mays, rSr/2022, Tennessee, 6-5, 311 (DS#24 OT) + More +

NOV 8 SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Cade Mays, OT, Tennessee,...Mays paved the way and protected for a Tennessee offense that racked up 462 yards of total offense in a 45-42 win at No. 18 Kentucky...The win over a ranked opponent on the road saw Mays play every offensive snap at right tackle as he did not allow a pressure, a sack, or a penalty...Mays was a part of a Tennessee unit that put up 42 points - its most vs. a ranked opponent since scoring 45 vs. Northwestern in the 2016 Outback Bowl...For the season, Mays has now played 418 snaps without allowing a sack. - SEC Football

(DS#24 OT) rSr/2022

OT Cade Mays, Tennessee
News Source: SEC Football
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11/07/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Even for a team that's embraced a fast pace, Tennessee's efficiency against No. 18 Kentucky was something to behold. Especially the little time Hendon Hooker needed to move the Volunteers up and down the field. Hooker threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including a 6-yard insurance score to Cedric Tillman early in the fourth quarter, and Tennessee held off the Wildcats 45-42 on Saturday night to halt a two-game skid. The Volunteers (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) emerged from a bye to strike quickly in a back-and-forth game between border rivals that totaled 1,073 yards combined. They needed just four plays and 37 seconds to score their first two TDs, drove 35 yards in 16 seconds for a go-ahead field goal before halftime, and used only 37 seconds on the way to another go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

The Vols were outgained 612-461 and held the ball for just 13:52, but made the most of it before a sellout crowd in hostile territory. Many spectators had barely settled into seats when Hooker tossed his first TD pass to Javonta Payton on the game's first snap. "We scored extremely quickly on some big plays and even when we didn't, we move the ball down into plus-red zone territory and end up fumbling," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. "It's just really unique how the game really unfolded." Hooker's final TD to Tillman with 11:40 remaining proved to be the biggest as Kentucky (6-3, 4-3) got within a field goal on Will Levis' 24-yard touchdown toss to Izayah Cummings. The Wildcats got one last chance after Chase McGrath's missed field goal but couldn't take advantage, turning the ball over on downs with 29 seconds left. It was Tennessee's first win over a ranked opponent since 2018, also against Kentucky. - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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10/09/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Hendon Hooker threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tennessee to a 45-20 Southeastern Conference victory over South Carolina Saturday. The Volunteers (4-2, 2-1) led 35-0 in the second quarter before the Gamecocks (3-3, 0-3) staged a recovery. Vols' running back Tiyon Evans rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown before leaving midway through the third quarter with an injury.

South Carolina's Kevin Harris scored from a yard out to start the fourth quarter. A missed two-point conversion made the score 38-20. Tennessee's offense generated just 25 offensive yards in the third quarter. Len'Neth Whitehead, replacing the injured Evans at running back, scored Tennessee's last TD from two yards. Trailing by 31 midway through the third quarter, South Carolina had fourth-and-9 on the Tennessee 44. Punter Kai Kroeger hit wide-open Payton Mangrum with what turned out to be a scoring pass and a 38-14 difference. A 28-0 first-quarter lead blossomed to 38-7 by halftime. Hooker completed 15 of 20 passes for 217 yards and three scores in the first 30 minutes. - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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10/04/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Hendon Hooker has played well enough to finally earn the starting quarterback job at Tennessee. Volunteers coach Josh Heupel had left open the issue of who his starter is the past five weeks after initially naming Joe Milton, a redshirt junior transfer from Michigan. But an injury to Milton opened the job up to Hooker, a redshirt senior transfer from Virginia Tech. Hooker's performance in a rout of Missouri last weekend was enough for Heupel to finally be named the starter Monday before the Vols host South Carolina on Saturday. Hooker's ball security helped sway his head coach. He has thrown eight TD passes with no interceptions since taking over as the starter Sept. 18. "As much as anything, it's great comfort and understanding what we're doing, the tempo," Heupel said. "He's really in control of what's going on at the line of scrimmage. He's been really decisive with the football. That comes from him having his eyes in the right place." In the 62-24 rout of Missouri, Hooker completed 15 of 19 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 15 times for 80 yards and a TD as the Tennessee offense looked the closest yet to the fast-paced attack Heupel wants. Tennessee has averaged 44 points and 507.7 yards a game with Hooker starting. - AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: AP College Football
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10/04/21 - Cade Mays, rSr/2022, Tennessee, 6-5, 311 (DS#24 OT) + More +

OCT 4 SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Cade Mays, OT, Tennessee,...Mays, making the start at right tackle, paved the way for a 683-yard output as Tennessee topped Missouri for a 62-24 road win. Mays did not allow a pressure or a penalty...With the help of Mays, Tennessee finished with 458 yards on the ground, representing the most rushing yards in a road game in school history and the most overall since rushing for 513 yards against Washington & Lee on Nov. 10, 1951...The Vols' 683 yards of total offense were their most since racking up 684 yards at Texas A&M on Oct. 8, 2016...Mays was dominant in a first quarter that saw UT rack up 28 points, the most in the first quarter for the Vols since scoring 35 vs. Arkansas on Nov. 11, 2000. - SEC Football

(DS#24 OT) rSr/2022

OT Cade Mays, Tennessee
News Source: SEC Football
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10/03/21 - McCallan Castles, rSr/2024, Tennessee, 6-4, 244 (DS#14 TE) + More +

Wide receiver Carson Crawford tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to McCallan Castles midway through the fourth quarter and eighth-ranked UC Davis held on to beat Idaho 27-20 on Saturday night. UC Davis' Trent Tompkins threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jared Harrell that tied the game 20-20 with 14:08 remaining. On the Aggies' next series, Tompkins lateraled to Crawford, who then hit Castles in stride for the go-ahead score. Castles made the diving catch while dragging a defender across the goal line with 8:05 to play.

Idaho's Mike Beaudry threw an interception to Devon King near midfield on the Vandals' final possession with 1:34 left. UC Davis freshman Miles Hastings was 15-of-27 passing for 144 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first start. Tompkins completed all four of his pass attempts and added 85 yards rushing on 13 carries. Beaudry completed 22 of 35 passes for 255 yards. Elisha Cummings had 15 carries for 125 yards rushing for Idaho (1-3, 0-1). Zach Borisch had a pair of touchdown runs and finished with 82 yards rushing. - AP College Football

(DS#14 TE) rSr/2024

TE McCallan Castles, Tennessee
News Source: AP College Football
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09/18/21 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee, 6-3, 217 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Hendon Hooker threw three touchdown passes and scored one of his own to lead Tennessee to a 56-0 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday. Hooker, who finished last week's loss to Pittsburgh after Joe Milton went down with an injury, rolled up 199 yards while completing 17 of 25 passes for the Volunteers (2-1). The only negative was a lost fumble in the second quarter. Tennessee Tech (0-3) went through three quarterbacks. The Golden Eagles generated just 179 yards of offense.

With Tennessee leading 49-0 late in the third quarter, Harrison Bailey saw his first action of the season under center. Bailey engineered a fourth-quarter drive, kept it alive with an 8-yard first-down run, then finished off the final two yards for a 56-0 score. The Vols went up 35-0 when Hooker found the end zone from a yard out six minutes into the third quarter. - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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09/03/21 - Joe Milton III, rSr/2024, Tennessee, 6-5, 235 (DS#9 QB) + More +

Joe Milton is doing all he can to prepare for his first Tennessee football start. The Michigan transfer quarterback has even studied how the Vols run onto the field at Neyland Stadium. "I have never been through it," Milton said on "Tennessee Prime" on Tuesday. "I saw videos. But the videos I saw, they kind of went opposite ways. I know that is not how it goes now." Milton is in a familiar but different position heading into Tennessee's season opener against Bowling Green on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

The junior won a quarterback battle at Michigan prior to the 2020 season. He did it again at Tennessee, winning the position during the preseason. But Milton felt differently when Vols coach Josh Heupel appointed him QB1. "My first time being named the starter at Michigan, I was very excited," Milton said. "I was walking around with my chest out. Just felt like I couldn't be touched. After my situation that happened over there and all that happened and I became the starter here, I was humbled. "I learned my lesson from what I did previously." - Knoxville News Sentinel

(DS#9 QB) rSr/2024

QB Joe Milton III, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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09/02/21 - Jabari Small, Sr/2024, Tennessee, 5-09, 198 (DS#32 RB) + More +

If Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel's offense is going to work, its got to start on the ground. The Volunteers' 38-6 season-opening win over Bowling Green on Thursday night was a perfect example of how the first-year coach's up-tempo attack can function on all cylinders. The Vols struggled with just 67 yards rushing and led 14-6 at halftime. With a focus on the ground assault, they amassed 259 yards and separated themselves from the Falcons.

Jabari Small finished with 124 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Tiyon Evans added 116 yards on the ground and a touchdown. "Offensively there were times where we were clicking, played efficiently," said Heupel. "Other times there were things we could control that we didn't operate as efficiently as we can. Going to need to clean those things up as we move deeper into the season." Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, a transfer from Michigan, ran for two scores and was 11-of-23 passing for 140 yards. His only completion of the second half was a 40-yard touchdown to Cedric Tillman. - Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#32 RB) Sr/2024

RB Jabari Small, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee/AP College Football
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09/01/21 - Joe Milton III, rSr/2024, Tennessee, 6-5, 235 (DS#9 QB) + More +

Josh Heupel sat in a high school football coach's office in 2017 when the question he traveled 1,100 miles to answer was asked. What would you do with Joe Milton? It surely intrigued Heupel, the Missouri offensive coordinator who was recruiting Milton, a blue-chip quarterback from Orlando's Olympia High. Milton had one of the strongest arms of any quarterback Heupel had seen. And that's saying a lot considering he coached two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and finished runner-up for the award himself as an Oklahoma quarterback.

Heupel's answer surprised Kyle Hayes, the high school coach who asked it. Heupel said Milton should throw the football short and softly. "Just because a guy has a big arm, it doesn't mean they should only do big things with that arm," Hayes recalled Heupel telling him. "Give Joe confidence throws. Complete short passes, build his confidence and then take deep shots." That's the closest Heupel had come to coaching Milton, who played three seasons at Michigan, until he transferred to Tennessee this summer. Fast-forward four years from that recruiting visit, and Heupel and Milton are finally together. Coach and quarterback will debut for the Vols against Bowling Green on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network) when that advice might be put to good use. Heupel announced Milton as his starting quarterback on Monday after a preseason competition with Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker and sophomore Harrison Bailey. - Knoxville News Sentinel

(DS#9 QB) rSr/2024

QB Joe Milton III, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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