Tennessee Football's depth chart for Saturday night's game vs. North Carolina State
Tennessee Football on Monday released its official depth chart for Saturday night’s game against North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, scheduled for a 7:30 Eastern Time start on ABC at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte:
Quarterback
| Starter | Nico Iamaleava |
| Backup | Gaston Moore |
| Backup | Jake Merklinger |
Nico Iamaleava was done after the first half on Saturday against Chattanooga, after completing 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns while leading Tennessee to a 45-0 lead at halftime. Iamaleava set a new Tennessee program record for passing yards in a half.
Gaston Moore started the third quarter, going 7-for-12 for 69 yards with one interception. Freshman Jake Merklinger completed all four of his attempts for 31 yards.
Running Back
| Starter | Dylan Sampson |
| -or- Cam Seldon | |
| -or- DeSean Bishop | |
| -or- Khalifa Keith | |
| -or- Peyton Lewis |
Dylan Sampson led Tennessee on the ground with 12 rushes for 124 yards and three touchdowns against the Mocs. DeSean Bishop had five carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, Cameron Seldon ran seven times for 47 yards, Khalifa Keith had 10 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and Peyton Lewis carried four times for 14 yards.
Wide Receivers
| Starter | Chris Brazzell -or- Dont’e Thornton |
| Backup | Nathan Leacock |
| Starter | Bru McCoy -or- Kaleb Webb |
| Backup | Mike Matthews |
| Starter | Squirrel White -or- Chas Nimrod |
| Backup | Braylon Staley |
Bru McCoy led Tennessee in receptions (6) and targets (7). Dont’e Thornton caught three passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Brazzell III caught five passes for 59 yards.
Tight Ends
| Starter | Ethan Davis |
| -or- Miles Kitselman | |
| -or- Holden Staes |
Miles Kitselman was the starter at tight end against Chattanooga and played 26 snaps. Holden Staes played 24 snaps and Ethan Davis played 18. Davis caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown and Staes caught two passes for 13 yards.
Offensive Line
| Left Tackle | Lance Heard -or- Larry Johnson III |
| Left Guard | Andrej Karic -or- Jackson Lampley |
| Center | Cooper Mays |
| Backup | William Satterwhite -or- Vysen Lang |
| Right Guard | Javontez Spraggins |
| Backup | Shamurad Umarov |
| Right Tackle | John Campbell -or- Dayne Davis |
Tennessee’s starters on the offensive line were Cooper Mays at center, Andrej Karic at left guard, Javontez Spraggins at right guard, Lance Heard at left tackle and John Campbell at right tackle. The Vols rushed for 304 yards and five touchdowns, to go with the 414 yards passing and three passing touchdowns. Chattanooga finished with two sacks and one quarterback hurry.
Defensive Line
| Starter | Bryson Eason |
| -or- Omarr Norman-Lott | |
| -or- Daevin Hobbs | |
| Starter | Omari Thomas |
| -or- Elijah Simmons | |
| -or- Jaxson Moi |
Tennessee played 47 different players on defense against Chattanooga, including a heavy and deep rotation on the defensive line. Omari Thomas and Bryson Eason played just 15 snaps each and Omarr Norman-Lott and Elijah Simmons both played just 14. Jaxson Moi and Daevin Hobbs were on the field for 16 snaps each
Defensive End
| Starter | Dominic Bailey |
| -or- Tyre West | |
| -or- Jayson Jenkins | |
| -or- Tyree Weathersby |
Tyre West was Tennessee’s highest-graded defensive player against Chattanooga, according to Pro Football Focus. He played 16 snaps, finishing with two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Dominic Bailey started and played 16 snaps. Jayson Jenkins got 13 reps and Tyree Weathersby played eight snaps.
LEO
| Starter | James Pearce Jr. |
| -or- Joshua Josephs | |
| -or- Caleb Herring | |
| -or- Jordan Ross |
James Pearce Jr. started but was on the field for just 10 plays. Joshua Josephs got 15 snaps, Caleb Herring played 20 and Jordan Ross got eight. Ross blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
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Weakside Linebacker
| Starter | Arion Carter |
| -or- Kalib Perry | |
| Backup | Jalen Smith |
Arion Carter started and played 22 snaps, recording three tackles. Kalib Perry and Jalen Smith got 23 snaps each, with Smith finishing as the second-highest graded defender per PFF.
Middle Linebacker
| Starter | Keenan Pili |
| -or- Jeremiah Telander | |
| Backup | Edwin Spillman |
Keenan Pili started and played 15 snaps, finishing with two tackles and Tennessee’s second-highest grade on defense and Jeremiah Telander played 25 snaps.
Cornerback
| Starter | Jermod McCoy -or- Jordan Matthews |
| Backup | Wiliam Wright |
| Starter | Rickey Gibson II -or- Jalen McMurray |
| Backup | Kaleb Beasley |
Jermod McCoy started and played 28 snaps and Jordan Matthews played 23 snaps. Jalen McMurray got 32 reps and Kaleb Beasley played 27. Rickey Gibson II (hamstring) did not play.
Safety
| Starter | Will Brooks -or- Christian Charles |
| Backup | Edrees Farooq |
| Starter | Andre Turrentine -or- Jakobe Thomas |
| Backup | John Slaughter |
Will Brooks started and played 27 snaps, leading the team with five tackles. Andre Turrentine also played 27 snaps and started. Jakobe Thomas got 23 reps, Christian Charles played 20 snaps, John Slaughter got 12 plays and Edrees Farooq got 11 snaps.
Star
| Starter | Christian Harrison |
| -or- Boo Carter |
Christian Harrison started in at the Star and played 23 snaps. Boo Carter got 30 snaps behind Harrison. Carter had two tackles and Harrison had one.
Special Teams
| Placekicker | Max Gilbert -or- Josh Turbyville |
| Punter | Jackson Ross |
| Backup | Josh Turbyville |
| Kickoff | Josh Turbyville |
| Backup | Max Gilbert |
| Longsnapper | Matthew Salansky -or- Bennett Brady |
| Holder | Jackson Ross |
| Kick Returner | Cameron Seldon -or- DeSean Bishop |
| Punt Returner | Squirrel White |
| -or- Jermod McCoy | |
| -or- Boo Carter |
Max Gilbert connected on field goals of 36 and 42 yards. Squirrel White returned one punt for 20 yards and Jermod McCoy also fielded a punt. Cameron Seldon returned the opening kickoff for 35 yards. Jackson Ross punted once for 23 yards.
