Tennessee is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the 2025 season when it hosts UAB at Neyland Stadium Saturday afternoon. With Trent Dilfer bringing his third Blazers team to Knoxville, there’s a unique connection between UAB’s head coach and Tennessee’s roster— Dilfer was Tennessee defenders Edwin Spillman and Kaleb Beasley’s high school coach.
Spillman and Beasley played for Dilfer at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville from their freshman through their junior seasons. Dilfer left to become the UAB head coach before Spillman and Beasley’s senior seasons at Lipscomb.
“Coach Dilfer was a great coach,” Spillman said Monday. “That’s obviously one of my guys. Great coach. Great mentor. It’s going to be really fun getting to go compete against him and getting to see him again.”
Lipscomb went 13-1 during Spillman and Beasley’s sophomore seasons, winning the TSSAA Division II Class AA State Championship. The Mustangs repeated as state champions in 2022 with the trio helping Lipscomb to a perfect 13-0 record.
TSSAA put Lipscomb on a two-year probation after Dilfer left with the first year coming due to the school’s academic Endeavor Program and the second year coming due to football recruiting violations. With Dilfer gone, Lipscomb on probation and the school moving up to the top private school division. the Mustangs went 5-6 during the 2024 season— Beasley and Spillman’s senior year.
Both Beasley and Spillman were four-star recruits in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Beasley chose the Vols over Auburn and Notre Dame while Spillman chose the Vols over Georgia and Ohio State. Neither played much as true freshmen a season ago but have stepped into bigger roles this season.
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Spillman is Tennessee’s third inside linebacker where he’s totaled 14 tackles and a sack through the first three games of the season. Beasley is Tennessee’s third safety and splits time with Edrees Farooq opposite Andre Turrentine. Through three games, Beasley’s totaled five tackles.
Both Spillman and Beasley project to be starters on Tennessee’s defense in coming years and Spillman has showed an All-SEC level potential early in his career.
Things have not gone as well for Dilfer at UAB. The Blazers went 4-8 in his first season and 3-9 in his second season, putting him squarely on the hot seat entering the 2025 season. UAB is off to a 2-1 start this season ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Neyland Stadium.
In the transfer portal era of college football, it’s not shocking to see players face coaches they used to play for. But facing the high school coach you played for is a unique and rare circumstance.
“I’ve gotten to talk to him a few times over the last two years,” Spillman said. “He still checks in with my parents and everything like that. It’s still a great relationship.”
Kickoff between Tennessee and UAB is at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang are on the call for the SEC Network.
