# 2019 Tennessee Volunteers football team

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. Thus, the Volunteers are credited with an official record of 0–5 overall and 0–3 in SEC play.

## Preseason
### 2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2019) :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Star ratings: 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 |
| Star ratings: 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: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

### SEC media poll

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.
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 |
| 4 | Florida | 1 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 1 |
| 4 | South Carolina | 1 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 1 |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Volunteers had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule

Tennessee announced its 2019 football schedule on September 18, 2018. 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* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPNU | L 30–38 | 85,503 |
| September 7 | 7:00 p.m. | BYU* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPN | L 26–29 $^{2OT}$ | 92,475 |
| September 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Chattanooga* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | W 45–0 (vacated) | 86,208 |
| September 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 9 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | L 3–34 | 82,276 |
| October 5 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 3 Georgia | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation) | ESPN | L 14–43 | 92,709 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Mississippi State | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | W 20–10 (vacated) | 85,462 |
| October 19 | 9:00 p.m. | at No. 1 Alabama | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October) | ESPN | L 13–35 | 101,821 |
| October 26 | 4:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | W 41–21 (vacated) | 87,397 |
| November 2 | 7:00 p.m. | UAB* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPNU | W 30–7 (vacated) | 85,791 |
| November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at Kentucky | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (rivalry) | SECN | W 17–13 (vacated) | 56,760 |
| November 23 | 7:30 p.m. | at Missouri | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | W 24–20 (vacated) | 49,348 |
| November 30 | 4:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | W 28–10 (vacated) | 87,367 |
| January 2, 2020 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Indiana* | TIAA Bank FieldJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) | ESPN | W 23–22 (vacated) | 61,789 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Georgia State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 30 |

### BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| • BYU | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 29 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 26 |

### Chattanooga

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chattanooga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Tennessee | 21 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 45 |

### At Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| • No. 9 Florida | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |

### Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #3 Georgia | 10 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 43 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: October 6, 2019
* Game time: 7:00 pm
* Game attendance: 92,709
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
* Recap, Box Score
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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Tennessee | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |

### At Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| • No. 1 Alabama | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |

### South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Carolina | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| • Tennessee | 3 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 41 |

### UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UAB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Tennessee | 6 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 30 |

### At Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Tennessee | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Kentucky | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### At Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Tennessee | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Missouri | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |

### Vanderbilt

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vanderbilt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Tennessee | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |

### Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indiana | 0 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 22 |
| • Tennessee | 0 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 23 |

## Personnel
### Current depth chart

Source:
Defense :
* FS
* Nigel Warrior
* Theo Jackson
* Tyus Fields
| JACK | MLB | WLB | SAM |
| Deandre Johnson Kivon Bennett | Daniel Bituli | Henry To'oTo'o | Darrell Taylor |
| Roman Harrison | Quavaris Crouch | JJ Peterson | Quavaris Crouch |
| ⋅ | Solon Page | Aaron Beasley | ⋅ |
* Safety
* Jaylen McCollough
* Trevon Flowers
* Cheyenne Labruzza
* CB
* Alontae Taylor
* Kenneth George
* Kenney Solomon
| 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 |
* CB
* Bryce Thompson
* Warren Burrell
Offense :
* WR
* Marquez Callaway
* Tyler Byrd
* Cedric Tillman
* WR
* Jauan Jennings
* Brandon Johnson
* Jacquez Jones
| 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
* WR
* Josh Palmer
* Ramel Keyton
* QB
* Jarrett Guarantano
* J. T. Shrout Brian Maurer
* 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
* RB
* Ty Chandler
* Eric Gray
* Tim Jordan

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

Tennessee had two players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 2 | 48 | Darrell Taylor | DE | Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | 217 | Jauan Jennings | WR | San Francisco 49ers |