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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Tennessee

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09/01/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 49. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee, Senior. Notable 2021 stats: 2,945 yards, 31 TDs. Last year's ranking: NR. The Virginia Tech transfer blossomed last season under first-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. Although not the starter to open the season, Hooker started the final 11 games and emerged as one of the country's most efficient quarterbacks with 3,561 yards of total offense and just three interceptions. The 24-year-old redshirt senior returns as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football. - ESPN.com

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: ESPN.com
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09/01/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Hendon Hooker, Sr., Tennessee,...The redshirt senior 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. Hooker 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. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native 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

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QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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09/01/22 - Byron Young, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM: DL - Byron Young, Tennessee,...Young is poised to build on a strong finish to the season last year where he logged 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. He posted a TFL in eight of the team's last nine games and recorded a multi-sack effort in the win at Kentucky. - Tennessee Football

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OLB Byron Young, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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09/01/22 - Cedric Tillman, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM: WR - Cedric Tillman, Tennessee,...Tillman leads the conference in returning production at wide receiver, amassing 1,081 yards on 64 receptions and 12 touchdowns a season ago. - Tennessee Football

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WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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09/01/22 - Jabari Small, Sr/2024, Tennessee + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC THIRD TEAM: RB - Jabari Small, Tennessee,...Rounding out the Tennessee selections on the third team are running back Jabari Small, linebacker Jeremy Banks, defensive back Trevon Flowers and punter Paxton Brooks. All four provide a wealth of knowledge, leadership and experience for the Vols, entering the 2022 year. Small, UT's top returning rusher, is the leader of the young running back room and has worked at getting himself physically prepared for the season, while ensuring that he will be healthy enough to take the next step forward in his development and level of play. - Tennessee Football

Sr/2024

RB Jabari Small, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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09/01/22 - Darnell Wright, Sr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM: OL - Darnell Wright, Tennessee,...Protecting Hendon Hooker up front is Wright who enters his senior season at UT having three years of starting experience under his belt. Wright had the highest snap-count on the team a season ago, logging 922 plays on the offensive line. - Tennessee Football

Sr/2023

OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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09/01/22 - Hendon Hooker, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM: QB - Hendon Hooker, Tennessee,...Hooker has had a strong offseason after a breakout year in 2021 where he broke single-season program records for completion percentage (68.0) and passer efficiency rating (181.4). Hooker accumulated 3,561 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns during the 2021 campaign. - Tennessee Football

rSr/2023

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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08/31/22 - Jacob Warren, rSr/2024, Tennessee + More +

2022 PRESEASON WUERFFEL TROPHY (COMMUNITY SERVICE) WATCHLIST: Jacob Warren, Tennessee, Sr., TE,...Warren is a three-year letterwinner and hometown kid that has developed into one of the top playmakers on the potent Tennessee offense and teams up with fellow tight end Princeton Fant to make up one of the top tight end tandems in the league this year. His growth at UT has gone beyond just the playing field as the Farragut High School graduate has developed into a team-leader and is on the Vols' leadership council. Warren has been a standout in the classroom since the moment he stepped on campus, earning his undergraduate degree in May in kinesiology after being a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Now in his graduate work, Warren is pursuing a Master of Science in agricultural leadership, education and communication. - Tennessee Football

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TE Jacob Warren, Tennessee
News Source: Tennessee Football
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08/25/22 - Lyn-J Dixon, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

The Lyn-J Dixon experiment at West Virginia lasted several months earlier this year. His time at Tennessee didn't last several weeks. Dixon, who left Clemson for West Virginia last November only to enter the transfer portal again in June, is no longer part of Josh Heupel's program. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound, fifth-year senior from Butler, Georgia, practiced for the first time with the Volunteers on Aug. 4 but missed multiple workouts last week due to an ankle injury.

Heupel said after the first preseason scrimmage that Dixon was added to the roster to bolster depth at that position following the season-ending injury to redshirt sophomore Len'Neth Whitehead. "Since he's gotten in, he has embraced understanding what we're doing as fast as he possibly can," Heupel said on Aug. 9. "I've been really pleased with the effort he's put into it. He's competed in a really good way out there on the practice field and in the stadium, and I'm looking forward to his progression in the back half of training camp and as we push towards game week." Dixon amassed 1,420 yards and 13 touchdowns on 218 carries during his four seasons with Dabo Swinney's Tigers that yielded three Atlantic Coast Conference titles. His best year occurred in 2019, when he rushed 104 times for 635 yards and six scores. - Chattanooga Times Free Press

rSr/2023

RB Lyn-J Dixon, Tennessee
News Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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08/22/22 - Bru McCoy, rSr/2025, Tennessee + More +

It appears Tennessee football will finish preseason practice with Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy still not eligible. "There are some things that are out of my control and Bru's control and our administration's control in this process," coach Josh Heupel said. "Everybody on our side is working as hard as they possibly can to make sure we come to a resolution as quickly as possible and give the kid an opportunity to go play." McCoy must receive a release from USC or get a waiver from the NCAA to become eligible immediately. Either way, cooperation from USC would move the process along.

McCoy's multiple transfers in the past is the obstacle. The NCAA allows players to transfer once without sitting out a season. In January 2019, McCoy enrolled at USC, transferred to Texas several weeks later for spring practice and then transferred back to USC that summer before playing a college game. "Our administration has done everything that they possibly can," Heupel said. "They've been great throughout the entire process from the very beginning, and they're still working as hard as they can to give him the opportunity to play." - Knoxville News Sentinel

rSr/2025

WR Bru McCoy, Tennessee
News Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
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08/18/22 - Jabari Small, Sr/2024, Tennessee + More +

Before the mustard bottle and golf ball were hurled inside Neyland Stadium during the waning moments of Tennessee's 31-26 loss to Ole Miss last October, running back Jabari Small of the Volunteers had already realized he needed to get bigger and stronger. "I was running real hard in the first half," Small said Tuesday, "but in the second half, I was like, 'Dang, I'm tired. I'm beat up. I can't even feel my shoulders.' "That's when it clicked to where I was like, 'I've got to address this." Small was listed last year at 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, but running backs coach Jerry Mack said Tuesday that he weighed 199 in the Music City Bowl. In that 48-45 loss to Purdue, Small had a season-high 26 rushes for a season-high 180 yards, but it was Jaylen Wright who received the critical carries during the fourth quarter and in overtime.

Mack said Small is now between 212 and 215 pounds and added that there is a noticeable difference in his ability to break arm and shoestring tackles. "He's added armor to his body," Mack said, "and that is going to help him down the road. Being able to finish games is what we've been talking about, and the added weight should help him a ton to try to increase his carries. Obviously in fall camp, we're just trying to make sure he understands how to finish the practice." Small, a junior out of Briarcrest Christian in Memphis, was plenty effective a year ago in rushing 141 times for 796 yards (5.6 per carry) and nine touchdowns. He was sidelined for wins over Tennessee Tech and South Carolina, and he and Mack were apparently on the same page at season's end. "Jabari knew that he should've been a 1,000-yard back at the end of last year," Mack said. "He would have been if he had been able to play in all those games and do what he's supposed to do. There is no reason he couldn't be one of the elite players in the SEC, but he knew he was going to have to get better." - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Sr/2024

RB Jabari Small, Tennessee
News Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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08/16/22 - Gabe Jeudy-Lally, rSr/2024, Tennessee + More +

The former Vanderbilt starter has the fewest connections to BYU, so in some ways that makes his decision to transfer to BYU the most intriguing. "I didn't win a lot of games before I came over here," Jeudy-Lally said on Monday. "With BYU's culture and just talking to everybody, they always believe they're going to win regardless of who they're going to play, which is really great. It's showed in the last couple of years. If you're wanting to come to a place where you are going to get treated like family and win football games, I think this is spot to be at." Considering how different BYU than other schools, it might be easy for some to question their choice at some point. Jeudy-Lally said he had some rough times in the first little bit but didn't look backward.

"I'm never gonna count something out when I first get there," Jeudy-Lally said. "When I first got here, I wasn't allowed to work out yet because I hadn't been accepted in the MBA program. So I was just sitting around at home and I was just like, gosh, what am I supposed to do? But since I got to work out with the team, everybody's been super nice. It's nice to be part of the family and so I'm definitely not second guessing my decision at all." As a Commodore, Jeudy-Lally played three seasons against SEC competition, which is widely-regarded as the best in the country. That gives him a unique perspective on how BYU matches up talent-wise. "I think they match up pretty well," Jeudy-Lally said. "The only difference I'll say across the country is like when you go when you play in the SEC, the big guys are just faster. But BYU's got way bigger boys here on the line that we did at Vanderbilt. Sometimes I'm like, whoa. But the talent level is very comparable, and I'm just excited to be able to play with these guys this upcoming season." - Daily Herald

rSr/2024

CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Tennessee
News Source: Daily Herald
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08/16/22 - Byron Young, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

This time last year, Tennessee edge rusher Byron Young had never played a snap at the major college level. Young is now the only Volunteers player to earn a spot on the Southeastern Conference's preseason first team. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder from Georgetown, South Carolina, had a debut year worth savoring in Knoxville, amassing 46 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. "Last season gave me a lot of confidence," Young said in a recent news conference. "I remember how nervous I was and how I wouldn't talk to anybody. I'm more advanced now and more confident with my technique and in being a leader. "I'm way more comfortable." The Vols went through their 11th preseason practice Saturday in preparation for Sunday's second scrimmage.

This time last year, Young was also Tennessee's most unique story, having left the Palmetto State after high school for Columbus, Georgia, where he worked for 18 months as an assistant manager at Dollar General before giving football another try at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. Young had a stellar 2019 season at GMC, collecting 31 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks, but the outbreak of the coronavirus in March 2020 wiped out junior college football later that year. Young enrolled at Tennessee in January 2021 and started gaining confidence during his first spring practice, but an NCAA eligibility snag prevented him from competing in the opening games against Bowling Green and Pittsburgh. In his initial contest against Tennessee Tech, a 56-0 romp, Young led the Vols with six tackles and helped limit the Golden Eagles to 35 rushing yards. A starter for the final eight games, Young wound up tying linebacker Jeremy Banks for the team lead in tackles for loss and sacks, and he capped his season with 2.5 tackles for loss and his first career interception in the Music City Bowl. - Chattanooga Times Free Press

rSr/2023

OLB Byron Young, Tennessee
News Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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08/14/22 - *Jalin Hyatt, Jr/2023, Tennessee + More +

The Tennessee Volunteers employed the quickest offensive tempo in college football last season, averaging 474.9 yards and 39.3 points per game. Jalin Hyatt missed out on a lot of that fun. After amassing 276 yards and 13.8 yards per reception as a freshman in 2020, Hyatt's numbers dipped to 226 yards and 10.8 per catch last season as Velus Jones Jr. took control of the slot position with 62 catches for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. Hyatt admitted this spring to being "complacent" after the coaching transition from Jeremy Pruitt to Josh Heupel and echoed those sentiments Thursday as the Vols resumed preseason workouts following Wednesday's day off. "Last year was hard on me," Hyatt said in a news conference. "I lost my confidence and didn't really know the offense as well as I know it this year. I wasn't going as hard last year. "I think Velus helped me a lot when he was here. He stood up and took over the role when I couldn't, but this year I'm locked in. I'm ready to go."

Hyatt is competing under his third position coach in as many years, with the 6-foot, 180-pounder - he played at 164 pounds last season - out of Irmo, South Carolina, having worked for Tee Martin as a freshman, Kodi Burns last season and Kelsey Pope now. Pope was an offensive analyst for the Vols last season and was promoted in early March after Burns became the receivers coach for the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Having witnessed Hyatt's struggles a year ago, Pope has liked what he's seen so far in camp. "Jalin Hyatt seems like a different guy mentally," Pope said. "Physically, he's gained about eight to 10 pounds. The competitiveness he showed last year he's channeling in a different direction. You see him respond the right way. You see him coach guys up when he's not in. "He's really taken on that accountability role for himself and also the group." - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Jr/2023

WR *Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
News Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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08/11/22 - Cedric Tillman, rSr/2023, Tennessee + More +

Tennessee football is on the outside looking in at the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. The Vols received the third-most votes among teams not in the top 25, trailing Iowa and Penn State. Alabama is the No. 1 team in the nation after receiving 54 of 66 first-place votes. No. 2 Ohio State received five and No. 3 Georgia received six. Texas, ranked No. 18, received one. No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 23 Arkansas and No. 24 Ole Miss round out the SEC teams in the Top 25. The Vols face Alabama and Kentucky in SEC play. They face No. 16 Pittsburgh in their marquee nonconference game on Sept. 10. UT opens Josh Heupel's second season against Ball State on Sept. 1 (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium. The Vols went 7-6 in Heupel's first season in 2021. - Knoxville News Sentinel

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