Tennessee Football: Jersey numbers, heights and weights for freshmen, transfers

Monday morning served as Day 1 on the practice field for the 2024 Tennessee football team. It also served as Day 1 for 22 newcomers, with 14 freshmen and eight transfers getting to work in their first spring camp with the Vols.

“Great to get on the grass with those guys,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said after during his press conference after practice, “and start our on-the-field journey for this season.”

Freshmen

No. 12 QB Jake Merklinger (6-3, 205)

Four-star quarterback out of Calvary Day School in Savannah, Ga. Ranked No. 200 overall, No. 12 among quarterbacks and No. 23 overall in the state of Georgia.

No. 14 WR Braylon Staley (6-0, 180)

Four-star wide receiver out of Strom Thurmond High School in Aiken, S.C. Ranked No. 83 overall, No. 17 among wide receivers and No. 2 overall in the state of South Carolina.

No. 22 RB Peyton Lewis (6-1, 200)

Four-star running back out of Salem High School in Salem, Va. Ranked No. 123 overall, No. 10 at running back and No. 2 overall in the state of Virginia.

No. 23 DB Boo Carter (5-11, 185)

Four-star athlete out of Bradley Central High School in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ranked No. 110 overall, No. 3 among athletes and No. 2 in the state of Tennessee.

No. 26 Edrees Farooq (6-0, 190)

Three-star safety out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Was ranked No. 55 overall among safeties in the 2024 class and was the No. 19 overall prospect in the state of Maryland.

No. 28 DB Kaleb Beasley (6-0, 180)

Four-star corner out of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn. Ranked No. 125 overall, No. 17 at cornerback and No. 3 in the state of Tennessee.

No. 34 DB Marcus Goree Jr. (6-1, 175)

Three-star safety out of Bradley Central High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he was a teammate of Boo Carter. Goree was ranked No. 52 among safeties and No. 12 overall in the state of Tennessee.

No. 47 LB Edwin Spillman (6-1, 215)

Four-star linebacker out of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn. Was ranked No. 338 overall, No. 30 at linebacker and No. 9 in the state of Tennessee. He’s the younger brother of Tennessee sophomore wide receiver Nate Spillman. 

No. 50 OL William Satterwhite (6-3, 300)

Four-star offensive lineman out of Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. Ranked No. 280 overall, No. 21 among inside offensive linemen and No. 12 overall in the state of Ohio.

No. 56 DL Kellen Lindstrom (6-5, 240)

Four-star DL out of Glendale High School in Springfield, Missouri. He was ranked No. 320 overall, No. 33 among edge rushers and No. 8 overall in Missouri.

No. 71 OL Max Anderon (6-5, 310)

Four-star offensive lineman out of Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas. Ranked No. 319 overall, No. 27 among interior offensive linemen and No. 52 in the state of Texas.

No. 72 OL Jesse Perry (6-6, 295)

Three-star offensive lineman out of Middle Tennessee Christian School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ranked No. 50 among offensive tackles and No. 21 in the state of Tennessee.

No. 78 OL Gage Ginther (6-5, 295)

Three-star offensive tackle prospect out of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Col. Ranked No. 42 among offensive tackles and No. 2 overall in the state of Colorado.

No. 89 WR Mike Matthews (6-1, 186)

Five-star wide receiver out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga. Ranked No. 26 overall in the 2024 class. He was the No. 6 wide receiver nationally and the No. 4 overall prospect in Georgia.

Transfers

No. 11 WR Chris Brazzell II (6-5, 195)

The Tulane transfer caught 44 passes for 711 yards and five touchdowns with the Green Wave as a sophomore last season, appearing in 13 games. He caught one pass for 11 yards in two games as a freshman in 2022. He was a three-star prospect in the 2022 class out of Midland Legacy High School in Midland, Texas.

No. 12 DB Jalen McMurray (6-0, 180) 

The Temple defensive back committed to Tennessee on January 9. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound McMurray played 24 games at Temple over the last three seasons, finishing with 90 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one interception.

No. 13 DB Jermod McCoy (6-0, 190)

The Oregon State defensive back had 31 tackles with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and seven passes defended last season. The 6-foot, 180-pound McCoy, out of Whitehouse, Texas, was a three-star wide receiver prospect in the 2023.

No. 19 TE Holden Staes (6-4, 242)

The former Notre Dame tight end Tennessee’s first commitment out of the NCAA Transfer Portal over the offseason, announcing his decision on December 15. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Staes spent the last two seasons with the Fighting Irish. He caught 15 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games this season, after catching one pass for 11 yards as a freshman in 2022.

No. 30 DB Jakobe Thomas (6-2, 192)

The former Middle Tennessee State defensive back, who initially committed to Oregon State after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, flipped to Tennessee on December 16. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety over the last two seasons had 108 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, to go with eight passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He had 37 tackles in 12 games in 2022, with 1.0 tackles for loss and the four interceptions.

No. 53 OL Lance Heard (6-6, 235)

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound offensive lineman from Monroe, La., was a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. In the On3 ratings he was ranked No. 11 overall nationally as well as No. 2 among offensive tackle prospects and No. 2 overall in the state of Louisiana.

No. 87 TE Miles Kitselman (6-5, 253)

The former Alabama tight end committed to Tennessee during his visit to Knoxville on January 12. He appeared in 13 games last season for the Crimson Tide, but played only 23 offensive snaps while contributing mainly on special teams. He played 33 offensive snaps and had two catches for 16 yards at Alabama during the 2022 season, after transferring from Hutchinson Community College.

No. 99 DL Jaxson Moi (6-2, 300)

The 6-foot-2, 303-pound defensive lineman from Oceanside, Calif., played 24 games the last two seasons at Stanford. He recorded 37 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, with three passes defended.