With under 24 hours until Tennessee football meets UAB on the gridiron, the Vols have released their list of team captains for the game in Knoxville. UT does captains on a game-by-game basis, but often a lot of the picks repeat throughout the season.
This time, it’s a clean slate of new faces getting the nod. The new players representing the team for first time this year are linebacker Ben Bolton, defensive back Jalen McMurray, wide receiver Braylon Staley and defensive end Tyree Weathersby.
Bolton is a redshirt junior who has climbed his way up the depth chart. Currently, he is in the second wave of backers to get on the field. He’s typically the fourth to get snaps, behind Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander and Edwin Spillman. So far, he has produced five tackles.
McMurray is in his second season at UT. He spent three years at Temple before transferring to Knoxville and is now a starting member of the secondary. After coming off the bench as a cornerback in 2024, he’s settled in as Tennessee’s starter at STAR. So far, he’s amassed 17 tackles, a sack and a pass defended.
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Staley is a redshirt freshman who is playing a huge role already. The formerly highly rated recruit is the starter in the slot and has been terrific despite entering the year without much experience. In three games, Staley has produced 231 yards and two touchdowns on 18 receptions. He caught a 73-yard strike in the season-opener vs. Syracuse and a late score against Georgia.
Weathersby is a defensive end who has seen a dramatic increase in snaps this year. After battling through injury early in his career and a bit at the beginning of this season, he’s appeared in two games and performed well. With Dominic Bailey sliding from defensive end to tackle, it’s opened up even more playtime for Weathersby, as well. The redshirt sophomore has recorded eight tackles so far.
Game 1 Tennessee Captains (vs. Syracuse [Atlanta])
- LS Bennett Brady
- LB Arion Carter
- TE Miles Kitselman
- S Andre Turrentine
Game 2 Tennessee Captains (vs. ETSU)
- DE Dominic Bailey
- RB DeSean Bishop
- LB Edwin Spillman
- CB William Wright
Game 3 Tennessee Captains (vs. Georgia)
- LS Bennett Brady (second time)
- LEO Joshua Josephs
- TE Miles Kitselman (second time)
- LB Jeremiah Telander
Game 4 Tennessee Captains (vs. UAB)
- LB Ben Bolton
- DB Jalen McMurray
- WR Braylon Staley
- DE Tyree Weathersby
