Tennessee football is home to the best freshman in the SEC. Slot receiver Braylon Staley was named the SEC Freshman of the Year for his standout season with the Vols.
On Tuesday, as the team prepares for the Music City Bowl against Illinois, Staley met with the media. He was asked about earning the honor, and admitted it wasn’t necessarily on his radar. Instead, he wanted to be an All-SEC member, which he wasn’t voted.
Still, Staley said it was something he ended up praying for and ultimately was rewarded with. He is now just the second Vol to ever win the award, joining Peyton Lewis (1994) and Jamal Lewis (1997).
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Staley snagged the honor due to a dominant year in the slot for Tennessee. With limited depth at the position, he stepped up to play the overwhelming majority of snaps there while staying healthy. The result was 64 receptions for 806 yards and six touchdowns.
Braylon Staley’s 806 yards marked the sixth-most of any wide receiver in the SEC this season. He was joined by a pair of teammates in the top ten, with Chris Brazzell posting a conference-high 1,017 and Mike Matthews coming in at seventh with 770. His six touchdowns tied for eighth in the SEC, as well, with Brazzell tied for first at nine.
In 2025, Braylon Staley finished with over 90 yards five times. This included eclipsing the 100-yard mark in SEC wins over Arkansas and Kentucky. He had one game with multiple scores, finding the end zone twice vs. Oklahoma while posting five receptions for 75 yards.
After the dominant season, he was asked if that changes his role heading into his redshirt sophomore year.
“It don’t,” Staley said on if his role changes. “I just got to keep working hard in practice and come into the game with a mindset that I came in with this past season, to kill. That’s about it.”
