Tennessee Football’s depth chart for Saturday night’s game vs. North Carolina State
Tennessee Football on Monday released its official depth chart for Saturday night’s game against Kent State, scheduled for a 7:45 Eastern Time start on SEC Network. Here’s how the Vols will line up against the Golden Flashes:
Quarterback
StarterNico IamaleavaBackupGaston MooreBackupJake Merklinger
Nico Iamaleava through two games is 38-for-51 (.745) for 525 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has a long of 59 and is averaging 262.5 yards per game. Iamaleava has also rushed 12 times for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Gaston Moore started the second half of the season opener against Chattanooga, going 7-for-12 for 69 yards with one interception. Freshman Jake Merklinger completed all four of his attempts for 31 yards.
Running Back
StarterDylan Sampson-or- Cam Seldon-or- DeSean Bishop-or- Khalifa Keith-or- Peyton Lewis
Dylan Sampson has been dominant so far, carrying 32 times for 262 yards and five touchdowns with a long of 56. He’s averaging 128.0 yards per game. DeSean Bishop has rushed 15 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, Khalifa Keith has 13 carries for 39 yards and Peyton Lewis seven carries for 19 yards. Cameron Seldon ran seven times for 47 yards against Chattanooga but was inactive against NC State. He is expected to return Saturday night against Kent State.
Wide Receivers
StarterChris Brazzell -or- Dont’e ThorntonBackupNathan LeacockStarterBru McCoy -or- Kaleb WebbBackupMike MatthewsStarterSquirrel White -or- Chas NimrodBackupBraylon Staley
Dont’e Thornton is Tennessee’s leading receiver with three catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, despite not catching a pass in the win over NC State. Bru McCoy has seven catches for 99 yards and Squirrel White has four catches for 89 yards. Chris Brazzell III eight catches for 77 yards.
Tight Ends
StarterEthan Davis-or- Miles Kitselman-or- Holden Staes
All three Tennessee tight ends have caught a touchdown pass through the first two games of the season. Miles Kitselman has three catches for 39 yards and Holden Staes has three catches for 31 yards, with both catching a touchdown against NC State. Ethan Davis has four catches for 34 yards and caught the first touchdown of the season against Chattanooga.
Offensive Line
Left TackleLance Heard -or- Larry Johnson IIILeft GuardAndrej Karic -or- Jackson LampleyCenterCooper MaysBackupWilliam Satterwhite -or- Vysen LangRight GuardJavontez SpragginsBackupShamurad UmarovRight TackleJohn Campbell -or- Dayne Davis
Tennessee’s starters on the offensive line for the first two games have been Cooper Mays at center, Andrej Karic at left guard, Javontez Spraggins at right guard, Lance Heard at left tackle and John Campbell at right tackle. The Vols so far has rushed for 553 yards and have eight rushing touchdowns. They’ve given up just two sacks.
Defensive Line
StarterBryson Eason -or- Omarr Norman-Lott-or- Daevin HobbsStarterOmari Thomas-or- Elijah Simmons-or- Jaxson Moi
Tennessee played 47 different players on defense against Chattanooga and 34 against NC State, including a heavy and deep rotation on the defensive line in both games. The Vols had 13 tackles for loss against the Wolfpack coming from a total of 16 players. They also had three sacks on the night.
Defensive End
StarterDominic Bailey-or- Tyre West-or- Jayson Jenkins-or- Tyree Weathersby
Tyre West has 5.0 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks through two games. Dominic Bailey is one of five players that have a team-high 6.0 tackles. He also has a tackle for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
LEO
StarterJames Pearce Jr.-or- Joshua Josephs-or- Caleb Herring-or- Jordan Ross
James Pearce Jr. has one tackle and 0.5 tackles for loss through two games, along with two quarterback hurries. Joshua Josephs has 5.0 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. His rush on NC State quarterback Grayson McCall Saturday night forced a high throw that safety Will Brooks intercepted and returned 85 yards for a touchdown.
Weakside Linebacker
StarterArion Carter-or- Kalib PerryBackupJalen Smith
Arion Carter has 6.0 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass broken up and a quarterback hit. Kalib Perry was inactive against NC State but also is expected to be available against Kent State.
Middle Linebacker
StarterKeenan Pili-or- Jeremiah TelanderBackupEdwin Spillman
Keenan Pili has 6.0 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Jeremiah Telander has 5.0 tackles and a fumble recovery. Edwin Spillman has missed the first two games with a quad issue.
Cornerback
StarterJermod McCoy -or- Jordan MatthewsBackupWiliam WrightStarterRickey Gibson II -or- Jalen McMurrayBackupKaleb Beasley
Jermod McCoy has 5.0 tackles and a pass broken up, Jalen McMurray has 2.0 tackles and Jordan Matthews has one tackle. Rickey Gibson II returned against NC State after missing the Chattanooga game with a hamstring problem.
Safety
StarterWill Brooks -or- Christian CharlesBackupEdrees FarooqStarterAndre Turrentine -or- Jakobe ThomasBackupJohn Slaughter
Will Brooks had an interception returned 85 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against NC State, putting Tennessee up 17-3 and changing the game for good. Jakobe Thomas had a sack against NC State and has 5.0 tackles and a pass broken up through two games.
Star
StarterChristian Harrison-or- Boo Carter
Christian Harrison has 3.0 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. Boo Carter has 4.0 tackles and two quarterback hits. Carter has played 53 snaps through two games to Harrison’s 46.
Special Teams
Max Gilbert is 5-for-6 on field goals with a long of 45. He missed a 53-yard attempt late against NC State. Squirrel White has returned four punts for a total of 78 yards, averaging 19.5 yards per return. Jermod McCoy also fielded a punt. Cameron Seldon returned the opening kickoff 35 yards against Chattanooga, the only kickoff return of the season so far. Jackson Ross has punted two times for 66 yards, with a long of 43.
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