# 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2017 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 fifth-year head coach Butch Jones until his firing on November 12. Brady Hoke was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The team finished the season 4–8, 0–8 in SEC play in last place in the Eastern Division and the SEC. They were the first Tennessee team in program history to lose eight games in a season, as well as the first to not win an SEC game since becoming a charter member of the conference in 1932.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures of scholarship players from the 2016 team.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Derek Barnett | 9 | DE | 6'3 | 265 | JR | Nashville, TN | Entered 2017 NFL draft |
| Alvin Kamara | 6 | RB | 5'10 | 215 | RS JR | Norcross, GA | Entered 2017 NFL draft |
| Josh Malone | 3 | WR | 6'3 | 200 | JR | Gallatin, TN | Entered 2017 NFL draft |
| Dylan Wiesman | 71 | OL | 6'4 | 310 | Senior | Cincinnati, OH | Graduated |
| Kenny Bynum | 51 | LB | 6'1 | 235 | RS Senior | Jacksonville, FL | Graduated |
| Corey Vereen | 50 | DL | 6'2 | 249 | Senior | Winter Garden, FL | Graduated |
| Cameron Sutton | 23 | DB | 5'11 | 186 | Senior | Jonesboro, GA | Graduated |
| Jalen Reeves-Maybin | 21 | LB | 6'0 | 230 | Senior | Clarksville, TN | Graduated |
| Jason Croom | 18 | TE | 6'5 | 246 | RS Senior | Norcross, GA | Graduated |
| Malik Foreman | 13 | DB | 5'10 | 190 | Senior | Kingsport, TN | Graduated |
| Joshua Dobbs | 11 | QB | 6'3 | 210 | Senior | Alpharetta, GA | Graduated |
| LaTroy Lewis | 4 | DL | 6'4 | 256 | RS Senior | Akron, OH | Graduated |

## Personnel
### 2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2017) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Terrell Bailey CB | Marrero, LA | John Ehret | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 15, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Marquez Bembry ATH | Atlanta, GA | Mount Vernon Presbyterian | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 214 lb (97 kg) | Mar 14, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kivon Bennett DT | Fort Lauderdale, FL | St. Thomas Aquinas | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Jun 20, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| James Brown TE | Orlando, FL | Jones | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 30, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| LaTrell Bumphus TE | Savannah, TN | Hardin County | 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) | 232 lb (105 kg) | Jun 18, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Matthew Butler DE | Garner, NC | Garner | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Dec 21, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| K'Rojhn Calbert OT | McMinnville, TN | Warren County Senior | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | Nov 16, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ty Chandler RB | Nashville, TN | Montgomery Bell Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 15, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brent Cimaglia K | Franklin, TN | Fred J Page | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jun 5, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Trey Coleman RB | West Monroe, LA | West Monroe | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | Jun 18, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Eric Crosby DT | Virginia Beach, VA | Ocean Lakes | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 297 lb (135 kg) | Apr 22, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Princeton Fant WR | LaVergne, TN | LaVergne | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | Jun 18, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Maleik Gray S | LaVergne, TN | LaVergne | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 12, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Will Ignont LB | New Market, AL | Buckhorn | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Oct 26, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Theo Jackson S | Nashville, TN | Overton | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 18, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Deandre Johnson DE | Miami, FL | Miami Southridge | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Dec 11, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jacquez Jones WR | Clearwater, FL | Clearwater | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | May 20, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Timothy Jordan RB | Bartow, FL | Bartow | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 189 lb (86 kg) | Jan 23, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Cheyenne Labruzza CB | Albany, LA | Albany | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | Apr 16, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Riley Locklear OL | Huntington, WV | Spring Valley | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | Jul 9, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Will McBride QB | League City, TX | Clear Springs | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Dec 12, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jordan Murphy WR | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 169 lb (77 kg) | Jul 21, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Solon Page III OLB | Marietta, GA | Kell | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | Apr 16, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Josh Palmer WR | Fort Lauderdale, FL | St. Thomas Aquinas | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jan 24, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Shanon Reid OLB | Fort Myers, FL | Dunbar | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Dec 6, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Shawn Shamburger S | Moultrie, GA | Colquitt County | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 5, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Trey Smith OT | Jackson, TN | University School of Jackson | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | Dec 5, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ryan Thaxton DE | Alexandria, VA | St. Stephen's & St. Agnes | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Jan 17, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 15 Rivals: 15 247Sports: 17 ESPN: 15 |||||||
| 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: "Tennessee Signee List 2017". Rivals.com. "2017 Player Signees – Tennessee". ESPN.com. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team". 247sports.com. |||||||

### Current depth chart

Defense :
* NB
* Rashaan Gaulden
* Baylen Buchanan
* FS
* Micah Abernathy
* Theo Jackson
| WLB | MLB |
| Quart'e Sapp | Daniel Bituli |
| Elliott Berry | Colton Jumper |
* SS
* Nigel Warrior
* Evan Berry
* CB
* Justin Martin
* Shawn Shamburger
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| Jonathan Kongbo | Kendal Vickers | Kahlil McKenzie | Darrell Taylor |
| Kyle Phillips | Shy Tuttle | Alexis Johnson | Deandre Johnson |
* CB
* Emmanuel Moseley
* Shaq Wiggins
Offense :
* X
* Josh Palmer
* Brandon Johnson
* W
* Tyler Byrd
* Latrell Williams
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Drew Richmond | Jack Jones | Jashon Robertson | Trey Smith | Brett Kendrick |
| Brett Kendrick | ⋅ | Coleman Thomas | Venzell Boulware | Marcus Tatum |
* TE
* Ethan Wolf
* Jakob Johnson
* Z
* Marquez Callaway
* Josh Smith
* QB
* Quinten Dormady
* Jarrett Guarantano
* RB
* John Kelly
* Ty Chandler
* Special teams
* PK Aaron Medley
* P Trevor Daniel
* KR Evan Berry
* LS Riley Lovingood
* H Parker Henry

## Schedule

Tennessee announced its 2017 football schedule on September 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consisted of seven home games, four away, and one neutral site game in the regular season. The Volunteers hosted SEC foes Georgia, South Carolina, LSU, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri.
The Volunteers hosted three of its four non–conference games which were against Indiana State from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, UMass, who competes independently, and Southern Miss from Conference USA. They traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff against Georgia Tech from the ACC.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech* | No. 25 | Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA (rivalry/Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game) | ESPN | W 42–41 $^{2OT}$ | 75,107 |
| September 9 | 4:00 p.m. | Indiana State* | No. 25 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | W 42–7 | 99,015 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 24 Florida | No. 23 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | CBS | L 20–26 | 87,736 |
| September 23 | Noon | UMass* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | W 17–13 | 95,324 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 7 Georgia | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation / Checker Neyland) | CBS | L 0–41 | 102,455 |
| October 14 | Noon | South Carolina | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN | L 9–15 | 98,104 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 1 Alabama | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October / SEC Nation) | CBS | L 7–45 | 101,821 |
| October 28 | 7:30 p.m. | at Kentucky | | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (rivalry) | SECN | L 26–29 | 57,543 |
| November 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Southern Miss* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | W 24–10 | 95,551 |
| November 11 | 7:30 p.m. | at Missouri | | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | L 17–50 | 50,637 |
| November 18 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 21 LSU | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPN | L 10–30 | 96,888 |
| November 25 | 3:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | L 24–42 | 83,117 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||
    Schedule Source:

## 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 25 | 25 | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 24 | 21 | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Georgia Tech | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| • No. 25 Tennessee | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
In a renewed rivalry with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Tennessee Volunteers traveled to Atlanta to play in their second Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The Volunteers never had the lead in regulation play but scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28 and force overtime. Each team traded touchdowns through two overtimes with Georgia Tech ultimately seeking to win the game on a two-point conversion. However, quarterback TaQuon Marshall could not complete the pass, and Tennessee secured the 42–41 victory.
In his first start as a Volunteer, quarterback Quinten Dormady went 20-for-37 for 221 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to wide receiver Marquez Callaway. Running back John Kelly ran for 128 rushing yards and four touchdowns. After averaging 47 yards on six punts, five of which pinned the Yellow Jackets inside their 20-yard line, punter Trevor Daniel was named Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones stated, "That was a very good college football game. I have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech. I am really proud of our players. We spoke all week long about a will to win, and that was the kind of game to find out our will to win. We knew that this was going to be a game that you had to show some resolve and some grit, and you had to play complementary football." He added, "The resolve and resiliency of our defense, even though we gave up [535] yards rushing, we still managed to force two takeaways, and offensively, we didn't turn the football over, which was paramount to winning the football game."

### Indiana State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indiana State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • #25 Tennessee | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
In their home opener, the #25 Tennessee Volunteers hosted the Indiana State Sycamores in the teams' first-ever meeting. From the opening kickoff, which Tennessee freshman running back Ty Chandler returned 91 yards for a touchdown, the Volunteers scored 28 unanswered points. Indiana State's only touchdown came early in the third quarter. Tennessee scored twice more to win their home-opener, 42–7. Following the game, Chandler was named SEC Freshman of the Week.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones called the outcome "a good win." He added, "With the short turnaround, I thought [our players] did a very good job all week long of trying to prepare their bodies and their minds, so I'm really proud of them. I thought one of the keys to the game was third-down defense and being able to get off the field."

### Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #23 Tennessee | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 20 |
| • #24 Florida | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 26 |
In a defensive battle throughout much of the game, the #23 Tennessee Volunteers faced their rivals, the #24 Florida Gators in Gainesville. Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Tennessee recovered to allow kicker Aaron Medley to tie the game at 20, after getting stalled in Florida territory with less than a minute to play. As time expired, Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks threw a 63-yard pass to open wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland for a touchdown, sealing a 26–20 victory.

### UMass

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UMass | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| • Tennessee | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Tennessee and UMass played each other for their first meeting in the 2017 season. Tennessee survived an upset attempt by the winless Minutemen in Neyland Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter, Tennessee was able to breakthrough on a John Kelly 12-yard rushing touchdown. UMass scored later in the quarter but missed the extra point to make the score 7–6. Tennessee scored late in the first half on a Tyler Byrd reception from Quinten Dormady to make the halftime score 14–6. Tennessee distanced themselves with a 40-yard field goal by Aaron Medley midway through the third quarter. UMass pulled within one score on a Sadiq Palmer reception from quarterback Andrew Ford late in the third quarter. Both teams were scoreless in the fourth giving Tennessee the victory.

### Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #7 Georgia | 10 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tennessee suffered their worst lost at Neyland Stadium in school history against the Bulldogs. In a game Georgia dominated from start to finish, Tennessee only was able to put up 142 total yards, with 91 scrimmage yards coming from running back John Kelly.

### South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • South Carolina | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
In a sluggish game for both offenses, South Carolina overcame a 9–3 halftime deficit to defeat Tennessee 15–9.

### Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • #1 Alabama | 7 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
For the 11th straight time, the Crimson Tide defeated the Volunteers in their annual rivalry game. Tennessee's lone score came on a 97-yard pick-six from Daniel Bituli off of Tua Tagovailoa in the third quarter.

### Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 6 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| • Kentucky | 7 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 29 |
For only the second time in the last 33 meetings, and despite having a turnover margin of 4–0, the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 29–26. The victory marked only Kentucky's third over the Volunteers since 1984.

### Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Southern Miss | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Tennessee | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
The Volunteers snapped a four-game losing streak in the 24–10 victory over Southern Miss. Running back John Kelly recorded two touchdowns and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano had one rushing touchdown.

### Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| • Missouri | 14 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 50 |
Tennessee was forced to start Will McBride at quarterback due to injury. The Volunteers suffered a 50–17 loss to Missouri, which left Tennessee at a 4–6 record for the season and 0–6 in conference. The Vols' loss to the Tigers was their worst loss to an unranked opponent in the AP Poll era. Head coach Butch Jones was fired following the game.

### LSU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #21 LSU | 3 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Under interim head coach Brady Hoke, Tennessee was able to go the half trailing with a 17–10 score. LSU pulled away with 13 points in the third quarter in a game that featured a rain storm. Despite the result, Tennessee outgained LSU in total yards 293–281.

### Vanderbilt

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Vanderbilt | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 42 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
In a game that saw Tennessee lose eight games and go winless in conference play for the first time in school history, Vanderbilt dominated in total yardage 529–238. Tennessee stayed in the game through three quarters, only trailing 21–17. However, Vanderbilt scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away. The victory marked Vanderbilt's fourth in six games over the Volunteers, a mark that had not been seen in the rivalry since 1922–1929.

## Team players drafted into the NFL

Tennessee had three players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Rashaan Gaulden | Safety | 3 | 85 | Carolina Panthers |
| John Kelly | Running back | 6 | 176 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Kahlil McKenzie | Defensive tackle/offensive guard | 6 | 198 | Kansas City Chiefs |