The Depth Chart: How No. 12 Tennessee will lineup against Arkansas

A closer look at No. 12 Tennessee’s unofficial depth chart for against Arkansas on Saturday (4:15 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium:

Quarterback

Starter	Joey Aguilar
Backup	Jake Merklinger
Backup	George MacIntyre

Joey Aguilar through five games has completed 102 of 157 passes for 1,459 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has rushed 21 times for 58 yards and two touchdowns. He was 24-for-40 for 335 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the 41-34 overtime win at Mississippi State two weeks ago.

Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger has completed 12 of 22 passes for 175 yards in two appearances as the backup quarterback. Freshman George MacIntyre is 6-for-7 for 52 yards in one appearance.

Marklinger appeared in two games last season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 48 yards and running seven times for 22 yards. MacIntyre was a four-star prospect who was a headliner in Tennessee’s 2025 class, ranked as the No. 15 quarterback in the class and the No. 3 in-state prospect, out of Brentwood Academy.

Running Back

DeSean Bishop OR

Peyton Lewis OR

Star Thomas OR

Daune Morris OR

Justin Baker

DeSean Bishop is Tennessee’s leading rusher in yards, with 335, and is second in carries, at 49. His four rushing touchdowns is tied for the team lead with Star Thomas, who has 305 yards on a team-high 52 attempts. Peyton Lewis has 35 rushes for 167 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

Starter	Chris Brazzell II
Backup	Radarious Jackson
Backup	Trey Weary
Starter	Mike Matthews
Backup	Travis Smith Jr.
Backup	Trey Weary
Starter	Braylon Staley
Backup	Amari Jefferson
Backup	Joakim Dodson

Chris Brazzell II leads Tennessee with 31 catches for 531 yards and seven touchdowns in five games. Braylon Staley has 25 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Matthews has 22 catches for 370 yards and two touchdowns.

Brazzell caught 29 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns last season, ahead of Matthews at seven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Staley had three catches for 21 yards in four games during a redshirt season.

Tight Ends

Starter	Miles Kitselman
Backup	Ethan Davis (OUT)
Backup	Jack Van Dorselaer
Backup	DaSaahn Brame OR
Backup	Cole Harrison

Miles Kitselman has 14 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown and is the only Tennessee tight end with more than two receptions through two games. Freshman Dasaahn Brame has two catches for 16 yards, freshman Jack Van Dorselaer has two catches for 12 yards and redshirt freshman Ethan Davis has one catch for one yard.

Kitselman was one of Tennessee’s biggest surprises last season, catching 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns after transferring from Alabama. Davis had 13 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns last season. Van Dorselaer and Brame, two freshmen who were former four-star prospects, give the tight end room added depth.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle	Lance Heard
Backup	Bennett Warren
Left Guard	Wendell Moe
Backup	Shamurad Umarov
Center	Sam Pendleton OR
Backup	William Satterwhite
Right Guard	Jesse Perry OR
Backup	Sam Pendleton
Backup	Max Anderson
Right Tackle	David Sanders (PROBABLE)
Backup	Brian Grant

Tennessee’s offensive line has paved the way for 996 yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns through five games. The Vols have allowed only four sacks while throwing for 1,686 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Five-star freshman David Sanders Jr. missed the first four games of the season due to an upper-body injury, but made his debut at Mississippi State, playing 11 snaps off the bench in the second half. Jesse Perry shifted to right tackle to replace Sanders after the injury, while Wendell Moe Jr. replaced Perry at right guard and Shamurad Umarov stepped in at left guard.

Sanders headlined Tennessee’s recruiting class as a top-10 prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Pendleton transferred from Notre Dame and Moe, and Arizona transfer, has impressed at guard.

Defensive Tackle

Starter	Bryson Eason
Backup	Daevin Hobbs OR
Backup	Nathan Robinson OR
Backup	Isaiah Campbell
Starter	Jaxson Moi (PROBABLE)
Backup	Jamal Wallace OR
Backup	Ethan Utley

Defensive End

Starter	Dominic Bailey
Backup	Tyree Weathersby OR
Backup	Tyre West OR
Backup	Mariyon Dye

LEO

Starter	Joshua Josephs
Backup	Caleb Herring OR
Backup	Jordan Ross

Weakside Linebacker

Starter	Arion Carter
Backup	Ben Bolton OR
Backup	Jordan Burns

Middle Linebacker

Starter	Jeremiah Telander
Backup	Edwin Spillman

Cornerback

Starter	Jermod McCoy
Backup	Colton Hood OR
Backup	William Wright
Starter	Rickey Gibson II
Backup	Ty Redmond OR
Backup	Tre Poteat

Safety

Starter	Edrees Farooq OR
Backup	Kaleb Beasley
Backup	Dylan Lewis
Starter	Andre Turrentine
Backup	Sydney Walton OR
Backup	Timothy Merritt

Star

Starter	Jalen McMurray
Backup	Boo Carter
Backup	Marcus Goree Jr.

Arion Carter leads Tennessee with 49 tackles through five games, 21 more than his closest teammate. Jalen McMurray has 28. Carter has two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble. Joshua Josephs has 22 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. McMurray has four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, with three passes broken up.

Andre Turrentine and Jeremiah Telander has 26 tackles each, ahead of 24 from Edrees Farooq and 23 from Edwin Spillman.

Jermod McCoy suffered a torn ACL while working out on his own in January. He returned to the practice field in a limited role during fall camp. Rickey Gibson III, Tennessee’s starter at corner opposite of McCoy, is also out for an extended period of time due to an arm injury.

Special Teams

Jackson Ross has punted 14 times for 610 yards, averaging 43.6 yards per punt with a long of 57. Eight punts have been fair caught, 11 have been downed inside the 20 and two have traveled 50 yards or more. Max Gilbert has 8-for-10 on field goals so far, connecting on a career long of 53 yards against ETSU in Week 2. He’s 30-for-30 on extra points.

Boo Carter returned eight punts for 130 yards, averaging 16.3 yards per return with a long of 40. Daune Morris has returned three punts for 24 yards, with a long of 11, and Braylon Staley has returned two punts for a combined loss of five yards. Peyton Lewis has returned two kickoffs for a total of 42 yards, with a long of 24.