# 2011 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 2011 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Derek Dooley, who entered his second season with UT. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

## Recruiting class

Tennessee's recruiting class was highlighted by six players from the "ESPN 150": No. 57 DeAnthony Arnett (WR); No. 63 Curt Maggitt (OLB); No. 73 Marcus Jackson (OG); No. 105 Antonio Richardson (OT); No. 118 A.J. Johnson (ILB); and No. 134 Marlin Lane (RB). Tennessee signed the No. 13 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 11 recruiting class according to Scout. The football program received 27 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 2, 2011.
College recruiting information (2011) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| DeAnthony Arnett WR | Saginaw, MI | Saginaw High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.50 | Oct 11, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Allan Carson DT | Oxford, AL | Oxford High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 5.30 | Jul 6, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Cameron Clear OT | Memphis, TN | Central High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | 4.95 | Feb 1, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 45 |||||||
| Justin Coleman CB | Brunswick, GA | Brunswick High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.40 | Jul 28, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Maurice Couch DT | Garden City, KS | Garden City C.C. | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.20 | Nov 14, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: – |||||||
| Mack Crowder C | Bristol, TN | Tennessee High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | 5.10 | Jul 30, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Vincent Dallas WR | Ellenwood, GA | Cedar Grove High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | – | Oct 15, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Brendan Downs TE | Bristol, TN | Tennessee High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.60 | Jul 30, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Christian Harris OLB | Woodstock, GA | Etowah High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Mar 20, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Marcus Jackson OG | Vero Beach, FL | Vero Beach High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | – | Jan 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| A.J. Johnson MLB | Gainesville, GA | Gainesville High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 227 lb (103 kg) | 4.70 | Sep 17, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Kyler Kerbyson OT | Knoxville, TN | Knoxville Catholic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | – | Aug 12, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Marlin Lane RB | Daytona Beach, FL | Mainland High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.62 | Jan 24, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Izauea Lanier CB | Scooba, MS | East Mississippi C.C. | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.50 | Jan 17, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: – |||||||
| Curt Maggitt OLB | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | William T. Dwyer High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Feb 1, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Pat Martin S | Greenville, SC | J.L. Mann High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 4.55 | Aug 15, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Byron Moore S | Wilmington, CA | Los Angeles Harbor C.C. | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.50 | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: – |||||||
| Geraldo Orta S | Valdosta, GA | Lowndes High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 166 lb (75 kg) | 4.83 | Jan 22, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Alan Posey OG | Athens, GA | Clarke Central High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | 5.20 | May 4, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Brian Randolph S | Marietta, GA | Kell High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.49 | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Antonio Richardson OT | Nashville, TN | Pearl-Cohn High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | 5.20 | Feb 2, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Trevarris Saulsberry DE | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | – | Aug 2, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Tom Smith RB | Apopka, FL | Apopka Senior High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.50 | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Tino Thomas WR | Memphis, TN | Melrose High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | – | Oct 8, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Jordan Williams DE | Gainesville, FL | Gainesville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | – | Oct 13, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Justin Worley QB | Rock Hill, SC | Northwestern High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 4.80 | Jul 2, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Devrin Young RB | Knoxville, TN | Bearden High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4.50 | Sep 29, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 13 ESPN: 13 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Tennessee". Scout.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011. "2011 Player Signees- Tennessee". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:00 pm | No. 12 (FCS) Montana* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | PPV | W 42–16 | 94,661 |
| September 10 | 3:30 pm | Cincinnati* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPN2 | W 45–23 | 94,207 |
| September 17 | 3:30 pm | at No. 17 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (Third Saturday in September) | CBS | L 23–33 | 90,744 |
| October 1 | 12:30 pm | Buffalo* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | CSS | W 41–10 | 87,758 |
| October 8 | 7:00 pm | Georgia | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 12–20 | 102,455 |
| October 15 | 3:30 pm | No. 1 LSU | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | CBS | L 7–38 | 101,822 |
| October 22 | 7:15 pm | at No. 2 Alabama | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October) | ESPN2 | L 6–37 | 101,821 |
| October 29 | 7:00 pm | No. 9 South Carolina | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 3–14 | 96,655 |
| November 5 | 7:00 pm | Middle Tennessee* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECRN | W 24–0 | 88,211 |
| November 12 | 6:00 pm | at No. 8 Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | ESPN2 | L 7–49 | 72,103 |
| November 19 | 7:00 pm | Vanderbilt | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPNU | W 27–21 $^{OT}$ | 91,867 |
| November 26 | 12:21 pm | at Kentucky | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY (rivalry) | SECN | L 7–10 | 57,040 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Tennessee | Alma Mater |
| Derek Dooley | Head coach | 2 | Virginia (1991) |
| Charlie Baggett | Assistant Head Coach, Wide Receivers | 2 | Michigan State (1975) |
| Jim Chaney | Offensive coordinator, Offensive Line | 3 | Central Missouri State (1983) |
| Harry Hiestand | Offensive Line | 2 | East Stroudsburg (1983) |
| Darin Hinshaw | Quarterbacks | 2 | UCF (1993) |
| Terry Joseph | Defensive Backs, Recruiting Coordinator | 2 | Northwestern State (1996) |
| Eric Russell | Tight Ends, Special Teams | 2 | Idaho (1991) |
| Peter Sirmon | Linebackers | 1 | Oregon (1999) |
| Lance Thompson | Defensive Line | 3 | The Citadel (1987) |
| Justin Wilcox | Defensive Coordinator | 2 | Oregon (1999) |
| Reference: ||||
The Middle Tennessee game is notable for having Derrick Brodus, a redshirt freshman walk-on who was not on the depth chart and never played college football, plucked from his fraternity's couch after Tennessee's other kickers (regular Michael Palardy was out and his replacement Chip Rhome hurt himself during warm-ups) were unavailable. He got the call less than an hour before kickoff. Brodus scored three extra points and a field goal in the victory.

## Team players drafted into the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Malik Jackson | Defensive end | 5 | 137 | Denver Broncos |
* Reference: