Even with a rebuilt roster, Tennessee football returns proven standouts for the 2025 season.
Players like edge rusher Joshua Josephs, defensive tackle Bryson Eason and tight end Miles Kitselman are known quantities. They’ll take center stage closer to the season opener against Syracuse in Atlanta on Aug. 30 (noon ET, ABC).
But when preseason practice opens on July 30, other players will be worth watching because of their unique storylines and opportunities for playing time. For the sake of brevity, let’s take quarterbacks Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre off this list.
Here are 10 players that I’m eager to watch in preseason and why.
Offensive tackle David Sanders
Larry Johnson transferred to Colorado after spring practice because he realized five-star freshman David Sanders will start at right tackle sooner than later.
Now the door is wide open for Sanders, the No. 1 tackle in the 2025 class, to start immediately against Syracuse. But he must earn the position, which isn’t a given under offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, who values veterans.
Tight end Ethan Davis
UT has reloaded at tight end with transfers over the past two seasons: McCallan Castles (UC Davis), Holden Staes (Notre Dame) and Kitselman (Alabama).
But the time is now for Davis, who signed with UT as a lauded prospect in the 2023 class and worked toward this opportunity.
Kitselman is returning from a pectoral injury suffered in spring, and the wide receivers are unproven. That makes Davis even more essential. He must be a weapon in this offense.
Running back Star Thomas
DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis make up the one-two punch in the backfield. There’s no guarantee that it will expand beyond that.
So Duke transfer Star Thomas must impress to squeeze into a trio. He has valuable experience with more than 2,500 yards from scrimmage and 22 TDs in his Division I college career.
In the spring, Thomas made the hard adjustments to UT’s tempo, offensive signals and scheme. Now he must show that he’s ready to contribute.
Cornerback Colton Hood
All-America cornerback Jermod McCoy is out indefinitely while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in January. Rickey Gibson is a returning starter, and Jalen McMurray is a steady veteran.
But UT added Colorado transfer Colton Hood from the portal in May to try to mitigate McCoy’s absence. Expect Hood to ease into the defense slowly, but the Vols need him to eventually earn a spot in the rotation.
Wide receiver Amari Jefferson
Mike Matthews, Chris Brazzell and Braylon Staley are the projected starters at wide receiver. But there’s no experience behind them.
Three freshmen and redshirt freshman Amari Jefferson round out the scholarship players at wideout. Jefferson, an Alabama transfer, did not play a game for the Crimson Tide in 2024 due to injury, and he was still recovering in UT’s spring practice.
Some of UT’s new wide receivers must contribute. If Jefferson is healthy, he should be one of them.
Multi-position athlete Boo Carter
Boo Carter is a defensive tone-setter at Star position, what UT calls its nickelback. And he’s among the top punt returners in the SEC.
But his reps at wide receiver are the reason to watch Carter in practice. In spring, UT coaches sounded intent on using him on offense, but the question is how much. Playing all three phases in game can put an immense strain on a player, even if they’re well prepared.
Carter’s progress at wide receiver matters, and so does the growth of the young wideouts. The combination could determine the extent of Carter’s growing workload.
Offensive lineman Sam Pendleton
Notre Dame transfer Sam Pendleton’s placement on the offensive line could indicate the starting combination in the middle.
If Pendleton mostly practices at right guard, he could start there, and William Satterwhite would start at center. If Pendleton mostly practices at center, he’d likely bump Satterwhite out of that starting spot, which could put Jesse Perry or another lineman at starting right guard.
It opens numerous paths to the starting lineup for Pendleton, but he also faces competition at each spot. Expect Arizona transfer Wendell Moe, a 2023 All-Pac-12 performer, to start at left guard.
Edge rusher Caleb Herring
Josephs is the starting edge rusher and heir apparent to 2025 NFL first-round pick James Pearce. But Caleb Herring is next in line, so he must take a step forward.
In 2023, Herring was a four-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee. He has contributed with 23 games played over two seasons, but now it’s time to make a difference.
Herring was sidelined by an injury in spring practice, which adds a layer of uncertainty.
Edge rusher Jordan Ross
Jordan Ross is a year behind Herring in the pecking order, but his ceiling could be higher. In 2024, Ross was a five-star prospect and ranked the No. 1 edge rusher in his class by some recruiting services.
Ross should show notable growth from year one to year two, especially at a position where UT has recently produced a string of NFL players.
Safety Edrees Farooq
Will Brooks turned into an impactful player last season at safety. He had a pick-6 against NC State, a game-sealing interception to beat Alabama and another interception to set up the game-winning score against Kentucky. He also ranked second on the team in tackles.
Edrees Farooq is Brooks’ potential replacement. He will compete with Kaleb Beasley at one safety spot and play alongside Andre Turrentine, a returning starter at the other safety.
As a freshman, Farooq led UT with 254 special teams snaps. He’ll step into a much larger role as the Vols try to build on last year’s best pass defense of the Heupel era while starting the season without McCoy.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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