Tennessee football will once again be well-represented in the Polynesian Bowl this upcoming year.
Recently, five-star Vols offensive tackle commit Gabriel Osenda agreed to play in the event. He’ll join Tennessee’s five-star quarterback commit Faizon Brandon.
UT four-star athlete target Salesi Moa, among other top players, are also signed up to compete.
The Polynesian Bowl describes the event as such: “‘Where the world’s top high school football players gather to celebrate culture and play the game they love.’ The Polynesian Bowl is held annually during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week. NFL Ambassadors include Michael Bennett, DeForest Buckner, Marcus Mariota, Haloti Ngata, Danny Shelton, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ronnie Stanley.”
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In last year’s game, Tennessee was represented by tight end DaSaahn Brame, quarterback George MacIntyre, offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. and defensive lineman Ethan Utley. All of whom were early enrollees and are preparing for their freshman seasons.
The 2024 roster featured wide receiver Mike Matthews, quarterback Jake Merklinger, defensive end Jordan Ross, linebacker Edwin Spillman and offensive tackle Bennett Warren. Each of these five players is still on the Vols’ roster and is set to enter their second year with the program.
In 2023, quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the only Vols player in attendance. However, Iamaleava transferred out of the program amidst reports of NIL negotiations and the quarterback skipping practice this past offseason. Now, he will play his third collegiate season and first at UCLA.
2022 also saw Tennessee’s quarterback commit play. Tayven Jackson competed in the event before heading to Knoxville. He ultimately transferred to Indiana and now to Central Florida.
The 2021 team saw a trio of Vol commits play. This was Dylan Brooks, Cody Brown and Aaron Willis. All three were quick to enter the transfer portal. 2020 had Tyler Baron and Keshawn Lawrence. Baron stoodout at Tennessee before transferring and Lawrence quickly transferred out. 2019 had Henry To’o To’o, who transferred to Alabama, and Jackson Lampley compete.
