When placekicker Cooper Ranvier was leaving high school in 2024, there was mutual interest between him and Tennessee football. Ranvier had kicked in Neyland Stadium at a UT camp, and both sides were intrigued. The issue was that the Vols didn’t have a spot for him on the roster at the time.
The result was the Lexington, Kentucky, native heading west to Louisville as a walk-on. However, following his redshirt-freshman season, he entered the transfer portal. The timing with Tennessee worked out this time as the Vols were looking for a new kicker after a rough year from Max Gilbert.
After conversations with the coaching staff, primarily head coach Josh Heupel, Ranvier was sold on Tennessee.
“When I jumped in the portal, I had a lot of people who I wanted to go to in high school that didn’t work out and Tennessee was one of those,” Ranvier said. “I think what it really came down to was the conversations. I sat down in the head coach’s office, and Heup really touched close to me. He just was chill, calm and almost like a friend, but somebody you really respect at the same time. I think that conversation with him at the end of the day was why I chose here.”
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Special teams coordinator Evan Crabtree remembers Ranvier as a recruit, as well.
“He’s accurate. He had good numbers. He’s got a powerful leg,” Crabtree said. “He came here, and he worked out in the high school recruiting cycle where he was actually here. He kicked. We didn’t have the spot that year to take him, but as he got in the portal and he came back around, it’s funny how two years later he ends up here. But powerful leg, accurate, confident kid. That’s who we wanted. So it’s a great addition to our roster.”
The starting job isn’t just handed to Ranvier, though. Instead, he’s in a three-way battle this offseason. While he’s certainly the favorite to win, Crabtree named kickoff specialist Josh Turbyville and young kicker Grady Dangerfield as other options.
Last season, Ranvier connected on 21-of-25 field goals. This included 6-for-6 inside 30 yards, 13-for-13 inside 40 and 19-for-20 inside 50. He went 2-for-5 from 50+ yards with a long of 51. He went 39-of-41 on extra-point attempts.
