American college football season
The 2019 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee , and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt .
Tennessee finished the regular season at 7–5 overall, 5–3 in the SEC, and were bowl eligible for the first time since 2016 . On January 2, the Volunteers won the Gator Bowl over Indiana . However, in July 2023, the NCAA vacated all of Tennessee's wins as part of disciplinary action due to recruiting violations, affecting the 2019 and 2020 seasons.[1] Thus, the Volunteers are credited with an official record of 0–5 overall and 0–3 in SEC play.
Preseason [ edit ] 2019 recruiting class [ edit ] US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date Darnell Wright OT Huntington, WV Huntington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 300 lb (140 kg) Feb 6, 2019 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 91 Wanya Morris OT Loganville, GA Grayson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 312 lb (142 kg) May 1, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 91 Quavaris Crouch ATH Charlotte, NC Harding University 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Dec 21, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 86 Henry To'oTo'o OLB Concord, CA De La Salle 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Feb 6, 2019 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 85 Ramel Keyton WR Marietta, GA Marietta 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 16, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 84 Jaylen McCollough S Powder Springs, GA Hillgrove 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Aug 17, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 83 Eric Gray RB Memphis, TN Lausanne Collegiate School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Dec 20, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 81 Anthony Harris S Havelock, NC Havelock 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Jun 8, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 81 Tyus Fields CB Cornelius, NC William Amos Hough 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 28, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 82 Jackson Lampley OG Nashville, TN Montgomery Bell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 300 lb (140 kg) Feb 8, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 82 Jackson Lowe TE Cartersville, GA Cartersville 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Feb 8, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 82 Roman Harrison DE Bainbridge, GA Bainbridge 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jul 25, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 77 Savion Williams DT Upper Marlboro, MD Lackawanna C.C. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 300 lb (140 kg) Jul 31, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 81 Melvin McBride OG Memphis, TN Whitehaven 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 312 lb (142 kg) Aug 22, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 79 Brian Maurer QB Ocala, FL Westport 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Jun 27, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 80 Aaron Beasley ATH Franklin, GA Heard County 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jun 10, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 79 Warren Burrell CB Suwanee, GA Gwinnett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 27, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 77 Darel Middleton DT Scooba, MS East Mississippi C.C. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Dec 20, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 78 Sean Brown TE Rome, GA Coosa 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 250 lb (110 kg) May 12, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 78 Elijah Simmons DT Nashville, TN Pearl Cohn 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 350 lb (160 kg) Jul 16, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 76 Chris Akporoghene OT Bradenton, FL IMG Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 295 lb (134 kg) Jul 9, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 79 Kenney Soloman CB Myrtle Beach, SC Socastee 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Feb 6, 2019 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 75 Jerrod Means WR Hampton, GA Lovejoy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Dec 19, 2018 Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 73 Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals : 12 247Sports : 12 ESPN : 11 Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
SEC media poll [ edit ] The 2019 SEC Media Days were held July 15–18 in Birmingham, Alabama . In the preseason media poll, Tennessee was projected to finish in fifth in the East Division.[2]
Media poll (East Division) Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Georgia 1789 (233) 2 Florida 1499 (21) 3 Missouri 1149 (3) 4 South Carolina 883 (1) 5 Tennessee 804 (1) 6 Kentucky 798 (1) 7 Vanderbilt 358
Media poll (SEC Championship) Place Team Votes 1 Alabama 209 2 Georgia 49 3 LSU 3 4 Auburn 1 Florida 1 Mississippi State 1 South Carolina 1 Tennessee 1
Preseason All-SEC teams [ edit ] The Volunteers had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.
Schedule [ edit ] Tennessee announced its 2019 football schedule on September 18, 2018.[3] The 2019 schedule consists of eight home and four away games in the regular season.
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance August 31 3:30 p.m. Georgia State * ESPNU L 30–3885,503 September 7 7:00 p.m. BYU * Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN ESPN L 26–29 2OT 92,475 September 14 12:00 p.m. Chattanooga * Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN SECN W 45–0 (vacated)86,208 September 21 12:00 p.m. at No. 9 Florida ESPN L 3–3482,276 October 5 7:00 p.m. No. 3 Georgia ESPN L 14–4392,709 October 12 12:00 p.m. Mississippi State Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN SECN W 20–10 (vacated)85,462 October 19 9:00 p.m. at No. 1 Alabama ESPN L 13–35101,821 October 26 4:00 p.m. South Carolina Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) SECN W 41–21 (vacated)87,397 November 2 7:00 p.m. UAB * Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN ESPNU W 30–7 (vacated)85,791 November 9 7:30 p.m. at Kentucky SECN W 17–13 (vacated)56,760 November 23 7:30 p.m. at Missouri SECN W 24–20 (vacated)49,348 November 30 4:00 p.m. Vanderbilt Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) SECN W 28–10 (vacated)87,367 7:00 p.m. vs. Indiana * ESPN W 23–22 (vacated)61,789
Schedule Source: [4] Game summaries [ edit ] Georgia State [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total • Georgia State 7 7 7 17 38 Tennessee 14 3 3 10 30
Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 3:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:21Game attendance: 85,503Game weather: Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Marc CurlesTV announcers (ESPNU ): Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (color), Stormy Buonantony (sideline) Scoring summary 1 12:00 GSU Seth Paige 4-yard run, (Brandon Wright kick) GSU 7–0 1 4:13 TENN Marquez Callaway 6-yard pass from Jarrett Guarantano (Brent Cimaglia kick) Tied 7–7 1 0:09 TENN Ty Chandler 31-yard run (Cimaglia kick) TENN 14–7 2 3:11 GSU Cornelius McCoy 17-yard pass from Dan Ellington (Wright kick) Tied 14–14 2 0:00 TENN Cimaglia 19-yard field goal TENN 17–14 3 10:30 GSU Aubry Payne 6-yard pass from Ellington (Wright kick) GSU 21–17 3 3:32 TENN Cimaglia 48-yard field goal GSU 21–20 4 12:05 TENN Cimaglia 48-yard field goal TENN 23–21 4 8:56 GSU Tra Barnett 19-yard run (Wright kick) GSU 28–23 4 4:45 GSU Dan Ellington 22-yard run (Wright kick) GSU 35–23 4 2:37 GSU Wright 48-yard field goal GSU 38–23 4 0:02 TENN Jauan Jennings 18-yard pass from Guarantano (Cimaglia kick) GSU 38–30
BYU at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 OT 2OT Total • BYU 3 0 7 6 7 6 29 Tennessee 7 6 0 3 7 3 26
Date: September 7Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 7:05 EDT Elapsed time: 3:25Game attendance: 92,475Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Brandon CruseTV announcers (ESPN ): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Tom Luginbill (sidelines) Sources:
Chattanooga [ edit ] Chattanooga at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total Chattanooga 0 0 0 0 0 • Tennessee 21 17 7 0 45
Date: September 14Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 12:05 EDT Elapsed time: 2:53Game attendance: 86,208Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Partly CloudyReferee: Ken WilliamsonTV announcers (SECN ): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sidelines) Sources:
At Florida [ edit ] Tennessee at Florida 1 2 3 4 Total Tennessee 0 0 3 0 3 • No. 9 Florida 7 10 7 10 34
Date: September 21Location: Gainesville, FloridaGame start: 12:02 EDT Elapsed time: 3:13Game attendance: 82,276Game weather: Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: 9 mph (14 km/h) • Weather: Partly CloudyReferee: David SmithTV announcers (ESPN ): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (color), Allison Williams (sidelines) Sources:
Georgia [ edit ] Week 6: #3 Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
Period 1 2 3 4 Total #3 Georgia 10 16 3 14 43 Tennessee 7 7 0 0 14
at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Game information First quarter
UGA – D'Andre Swift 1-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 7:07. #3 Georgia 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 84 yards, 6:51. TENN – Marquez Callaway 73-yard pass from Brian Maurer (Brent Cimaglia kick), 6:25. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:42. UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 50-yard field goal, 2:34. #3 Georgia 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 3:51. Second quarter
TENN – Jauan Jennings 12-yard pass from Brian Maurer (Brent Cimaglia kick), 14:57. Tennessee 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:37. UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 34-yard field goal, 11:31. Tennessee 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:26. UGA – Lawrence Cager 3-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 1:59. #3 Georgia 20–14. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:03. UGA – George Pickens 7-yard pass from Jake Fromm (pass failed), 0:09. #3 Georgia 26–14. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 0:50. Third quarter
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 27-yard field goal, 7:03. #3 Georgia 29–14. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:34. Fourth quarter
UGA – Brian Herrien 1-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 8:02. #3 Georgia 36–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:04. UGA – Tae Crowder 60-yard fumble return (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 4:39. #3 Georgia 43–14. Top passers
UGA – Jake Fromm – 24/29, 288 yards, 2 TD TENN – Brian Maurer – 14/28, 259 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers
UGA – Brian Herrien – 11 rushes, 88 yards, TD TENN – Tim Jordan – 9 rushes, 47 yards Top receivers
UGA – D'Andre Swift – 4 receptions, 72 yards TENN – Jauan Jennings – 7 receptions, 114 yards, TD
Mississippi State [ edit ] Mississippi State at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total Mississippi State 0 3 0 7 10 • Tennessee 7 3 3 7 20
Date: October 12Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 12:06 EDT Elapsed time: 2:56Game attendance: 85,462Game weather: Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: 7 mph (11 km/h) • Weather: CloudyReferee: John McDaidTV announcers (SECN ): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines) Sources:
At Alabama [ edit ] Tennessee at Alabama 1 2 3 4 Total Tennessee 7 3 3 0 13 • No. 1 Alabama 14 7 7 7 35
Date: October 19Location: Tuscaloosa, AlabamaGame start: 8:11 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:13Game attendance: 101,821Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Weather: CloudyReferee: Hubert OwensTV announcers (ESPN ): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (color) and Molly McGrath (sidelines) Sources:
South Carolina [ edit ] South Carolina at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total South Carolina 7 14 0 0 21 • Tennessee 3 14 14 10 41
Date: October 26Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 4:01 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:40Game attendance: 87,397Game weather: Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: CloudyReferee: Steve MarlowTV announcers (SECN ): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines) Sources:
UAB at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total UAB 0 0 0 7 7 • Tennessee 6 17 7 0 30
Date: November 2Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 7:02 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:03Game attendance: 85,791Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Partly CloudyReferee: Hubert OwensTV announcers (ESPNU ): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color) and Lauren Sisler (sidelines) Sources:
At Kentucky [ edit ] Tennessee at Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total • Tennessee 0 3 14 0 17 Kentucky 13 0 0 0 13
Date: November 9Location: Lexington, KentuckyGame start: 7:39 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:15Game attendance: 56,760Game weather: Temperature: 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind: 8 mph (13 km/h) • Weather: ClearReferee: Ken WilliamsonTV announcers (SECN ): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color) and Cole Cubelic (sidelines) Sources:
At Missouri [ edit ] Tennessee at Missouri 1 2 3 4 Total • Tennessee 0 17 7 0 24 Missouri 3 7 7 3 20
Date: November 23Location: Columbia, MissouriGame start: 7:39 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:25Game attendance: 49,348Game weather: Temperature: 39 °F (4 °C) • Wind: 8 mph (13 km/h)Referee: Steve MarloweTV announcers (SECN ): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines) Sources:
Vanderbilt [ edit ] Vanderbilt at Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total Vanderbilt 3 0 0 7 10 • Tennessee 7 14 0 7 28
Date: November 30Location: Knoxville, TennesseeGame start: 4:29 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:46Game attendance: 87,367Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: RainReferee: David SmithTV announcers (SECN ): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines) Sources:
Indiana [ edit ] Gator Bowl 1 2 3 4 Total Indiana 0 3 16 3 22 • Tennessee 0 6 3 14 23
Date: January 2Location: Jacksonville, FloridaGame start: 7:00 pm EDT Sources:
Personnel [ edit ] Roster and staff [ edit ] Current depth chart [ edit ] Source:[6]
Defense
Safety Jaylen McCullough Trevon Flowers Cheyenne Labruzza
DE NT DE Darel Middleton Kurott Garland Greg Emerson Aubrey Solomon Ja'Quain Blakely Elijah Simmons Matthew Butler John Mincey Kingston Harris LaTrell Bumphus Savion Williams
Offense
LT LG C RG RT Wanya Morris Trey Smith Brandon Kennedy Jerome Carvin Darnell Wright Jahmir Johnson Riley Locklear Jerome Carvin Riley Locklear K'Rojhn Calbert Marcus Tatum Jackson Lampley Ryan Johnson Chris Akporoghene Marcus Tatum
TE Dominick Wood-Anderson Austin Pope Andrew Craig
Special teams PK Brent Cimaglia PK Paxton Brooks P Paxton Brooks Joe Doyle KR Ty Chandler Marquez Callaway PR Marquez Callaway LS Riley Lovingood H Joe Doyle
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — RV Coaches RV — — — — — — — — — — — — — RV RV RV CFP Not released — — — — — — Not released
Players drafted into the NFL [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ Sparks, Adam (July 15, 2023). "These Tennessee football wins under Jeremy Pruitt have been vacated" . USA Today . Retrieved July 16, 2023 . ^ "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship" . SECSports.com . Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019. ^ "TENNESSEE FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2019 SCHEDULE" . University of Tennessee Department of Athletics. September 18, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019 . ^ "2019 Tennessee Volunteers Football Schedule" . FB Schedules. Retrieved January 11, 2019 . ^ "Tennessee stunned as Georgia St. rallies for win" . ESPN. August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019 . ^ Terry Lambert, "Tennessee Releases First Depth Chart of 2019 ," Rocky Top Talk, August 26, 2019.
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