The No. 6 torch has been passed inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Current Tennessee football quarterback Joey Aguilar met up with former Vols running back Alvin Kamara after the final whistle. Aguilar currently wears No. 6 and Kamara wore the same number during his UT tenure.
Tennessee beat Syracuse 45-26 in the season-opener behind strong quarterback play from Aguilar. He completed 16-of-28 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. On the ground, he did fumble one ball, but also added 34 yards on six carries.
His long came on a 73-yard bomb to Braylon Staley. He also found Star Thomas on a jump ball and Miles Kitselman for scores.
No. 6 Joey Aguilar with former No. 6 Alvin Kamara pic.twitter.com/dlFl15SJaT
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) August 30, 2025
More From RTI: What Josh Heupel Said About David Sanders Missing Tennessee’s Matchup With Syracuse
Kamara began his college career at Alabama under Nick Saban. Injury shut him down for the season and forced him to redshirt, though. He transferred to Hutchinson CC to continue his career. Following a breakout year, he transferred to Tennessee.
With the Vols, Kamara played two seasons. In 2015, he played in 13 games while rushing for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. His 6.5 yards per carry was the third-best in the SEC that season. He also caught 34 passes for 291 yards and three scores. As a punt returner, he managed a touchdown.
The following year, Kamara was a key part of Tennessee’s great start to the year under Butch Jones. He played in 11 games while starting in seven and finished with a team-high 1,188 all-purpose yards. This came on 596 rushing yards, 392 receiving yards, 184 punt return yards and 16 kickoff return yards. He also totaled 13 touchdowns.
Kamara entered the NFL draft following the season and was picked by New Orleans with the No. 67 overall selection in the third round. He was promptly named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year while being named to the Pro Bowl. He went on to become the first running back in NFL history to total 500 rushing and receiving yards in each of his first four seasons.
Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Second-Team All-Pro.
