Tennessee defensive back Jalen McMurray played just 17 snaps in the Vols’ 30-28 season-ending loss against Illinois in the Music City Bowl Tuesday night. But getting on the field at all was an upset of sorts for the senior defensive back.
“Yesterday, I’m not sure you (McMurray) thought you were going to play,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said postgame. “And (he) said, ‘Man, I want to go through warmups and figure it out.’ And great teammate, great football player, and he’s a football player. He loves playing the game. For him to be able to go through it today, to make a decision that he can play and then go play the way that he did, I think says everything that – well, it is everything that you would want in a player as a coach. Couldn’t be more proud of him.”
McMurray started every game at STAR for Tennessee this season but suffered an injury in December during the Vols’ bowl practices. But in what is often dubbed as a “meaningless” bowl game, McMurray tried his hardest to play.
While McMurray was unable to play his full allotment of snaps, he gave it a go as much as he could. In his 17 snaps, Illinois targeted McMurray three times and he allowed just one catch for nine yards. He was in coverage on one of Tennessee’s few third down stops in the game.
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Why was it so important for McMurray to play in the Music City Bowl?
“I was doubtful yesterday,” McMurray said. “I didn’t think I would be able to play. But this place has given me so much. I wanted to be able to finish it out. I didn’t want for my teammates, even though they probably wouldn’t think this, I didn’t want them thinking I’d quit on them. It was important to me to leave it out, everything, out on the field. Give it all for the Power T. Give it all for my teammates, coaches for them giving me so much— the opportunity to come out here and play with them.”
McMurray started his college career at Temple before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2024 season. He played 264 snaps as a backup cornerback on the Vols’ College Football Playoff team a season ago. This season, McMurray stepped into the starting STAR spot where he played 551 snaps and recorded 56 total tackles two sacks and five pass breakups.
It’s unclear whether McMurray projects as a NFL Draft pick. He certainly will not go early in the draft but is playing in the Senior Bowl next month. In today’s modern era, it’s almost unheard of for a player with draft prospects to push through an injury to play in a mid level bowl game.
McMurray’s mindset is especially refreshing compared to his counterpart at STAR— Boo Carter. The two split snaps at the spot early in the season before Carter’s departure from the Tennessee team in mid November.
