2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team

2016 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
2016 record	0–0 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach	Butch Jones (4th year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike DeBord (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator	Bob Shoop (1st year)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium (Capacity: 102,455)

2016 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
Florida		0	–	0					0	–	0
Georgia		0	–	0					0	–	0
Kentucky		0	–	0					0	–	0
Missouri		0	–	0					0	–	0
South Carolina		0	–	0					0	–	0
Tennessee		0	–	0					0	–	0
Vanderbilt		0	–	0					0	–	0
Western Division
Alabama		0	–	0					0	–	0
Arkansas		0	–	0					0	–	0
Auburn		0	–	0					0	–	0
LSU		0	–	0					0	–	0
Mississippi State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Ole Miss		0	–	0					0	–	0
Texas A&M		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 3, 2016
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team will represent the University of Tennessee in the 2016 season. This will be the 120th overall season, 83rd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and its 25th within the SEC Eastern Division. The team will play their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

Previous season

The 2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team started off their 2015 campaign with a 59–30 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons. They then took on the 19th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium where they gave up 17 unanswered points and lost in double overtime 31–24. Following a 55–10 win over Western Carolina, Tennessee traveled down to Gainesville, Florida, blew a 10-point lead in the second half, failed to convert a walk-off field goal and lost to the Florida Gators 28–27 for the 11th consecutive season. The following week back home, the Vols fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks 24–20. Despite trailing by 21-points to #19 Georgia in the 2nd quarter, Tennessee rallied back to go ahead of the Bulldogs in the 3rd quarter, score the winning touchdown with less than six minutes in the game and prevented Georgia from reaching the end zone to score their first victory over their SEC East opponent since 2009. After a bye week, Tennessee traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on bitter rivals Alabama. In a low scoring defensive battle, the eighth ranked Crimson Tide scored the winning touchdown drive with just over two minutes remaining in the contest and Tennessee fell 19–14. Evan Berry tied a school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season in the Volunteers 52–21 beatdown of the Kentucky Wildcats. After allowing 21 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee kicked a go-ahead field goal with ten minutes remaining in the contest. With less than a minute left in play, the Gamecocks drove the ball to Tennessee's 13-yard line when Malik Foreman forced a fumble. It was recovered by Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Tennessee won the game 27–24. Despite a sluggish offensive performance, Tennessee's defense held North Texas to just 199 total yards in a 24–0 victory over the Mean Green and became bowl eligible, it was also there first time shuting out a FCS opponent since 2011. The following week, Tennessee beat eastern division opponent Missouri for the first time in a 19–8 victory. Tennessee finished the regular season 8–4 with a 53–28 thrashing of in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Vols were invited to play in the 2016 Outback Bowl against the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. Tennessee defeated the Wildcats in Tampa, Florida 45–6, finishing their 2015 season at 9–4.^[1]

Offseason

Departures

Departures of scholarship players from the 2015 team.

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Marquez North	8	WR	6'3	229	Junior	Charlotte, NC	Left for 2016 NFL draft
Ralph David Abernathy IV	5	RB	5'6	185	RS Senior	Atlanta, GA	Graduate transfer
Von Pearson	9	WR	6'3	183	Senior	Newport News, VA	Graduated
Ladarrell McNeil	33	DB	6'1	215	Senior	Dallas, TX	Graduated
Brian Randolph	37	DB	6'0	209	RS Senior	Marietta, GA	Graduated
Chris Weatherd	42	LB	6'4	225	Senior	Carrollton, TX	Graduated
Alex Ellis	48	TE	6'5	240	RS Senior	Delmar, DE	Graduated
Mack Crowder	57	OL	6'2	295	RS Senior	Bristol, TN	Graduated
Owen Williams	58	DL	6'2	288	RS Senior	Macon, GA	Graduated
Marcus Jackson	75	OL	6'2	306	RS Senior	Vero Beach, FL	Graduated
Kyler Kerbyson	77	OL	6'4	318	RS Senior	Knoxville, TN	Graduated
Johnathon Johnson	81	WR	5'9	186	Senior	Friendswood, TX	Graduated
Trevarris Saulsberry	96	DL	6'4	296	RS Senior	Gainesville, FL	Graduated

Winter months

During the early part of the offseason, a number of players and coaches left the program. Freshman quarterback Sherion Jones announced he was transferring from Tennessee to Colorado on January 7.^[2] He returned to Tennessee on January 27.^[3] John Jancek, a member of Butch Jones's coaching staff since his time with Central Michigan and Cincinnati, was relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator on January 6.^[4] Jones said that he and Jancek "had a long discussion this morning and we both came to the conclusion that it was best to part ways. I want to thank Coach Jancek for his contributions to the University of Tennessee football program the past three years. His hard work and dedication to this program played a major role in our back-to-back bowl wins. These decisions are never easy especially for someone I have worked with at three different schools."^[4] Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was hired for the same position at Tennessee on January 9.^[5] Larry Scott, who served as the interim head coach for the final six games of the Miami Hurricanes's 2015 season, was hired to be Tennessee's new tight ends coach on January 4.^[6]

Personnel

Roster & staff

2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 1 Hurd, JalenJalen Hurd Jr WR 3 Malone, JoshJosh Malone Jr RB 4 Kelly, JohnJohn Kelly So RB 6 Kamara (C), AlvinAlvin Kamara (C)  Jr WR 7 Williams, PrestonPreston Williams So WR 10 Perry, VincentVincent Perry  Fr QB 11 Dobbs (C), JoshuaJoshua Dobbs (C) Sr QB 12 Dormady, QuintenQuinten Dormady So QB 13 Jones, SherironSheriron Jones  Fr QB 14 Jancek, ZacZac Jancek  Fr WR 15 Jennings, JauanJauan Jennings So TE 18 Croom, JasonJason Croom  Sr WR 19 George, JeffJeff George  Jr RB 21 Young, JoeJoe Young So WR 24 Lacey, MichaelMichael Lacey  Fr WR 25 Smith, JoshJosh Smith  Jr WR 28 Martinez, WillWill Martinez Jr RB 37 Sparks, JaysonJayson Sparks  Jr WR 38 Rochell, JayeJaye Rochell  Sr TE 44 Johnson, JakobJakob Johnson Jr TE 47 Stocstill, JoeJoe Stocstill  Sr OL 50 Boulware, VenzellVenzell Boulware  Fr OL 51 Richmond, DrewDrew Richmond  Fr OL 55 Thomas, ColemanColeman Thomas Jr OL 58 Adams, AaronAaron Adams  Jr OL 60 Sanders, AustinAustin Sanders  Jr OL 63 Kendrick, BrettBrett Kendrick  Jr OL 64 Raulerson, RayRay Raulerson  So OL 65 Keaton, ClayClay Keaton  Fr OL 66 Jones, JackJack Jones So OL 67 Keeler, JoeJoe Keeler  Fr OL 69 Reynolds, JonathanJonathan Reynolds  Jr OL 71 Wiesman, DylanDylan Wiesman Sr OL 74 Blair, DontaviusDontavius Blair  Sr OL 75 Robertson, JashonJashon Robertson Jr OL 76 Hall, ChanceChance Hall So OL 78 Mosley, CharlesCharles Mosley  So OL 79 Edwards, ThomasThomas Edwards  Jr TE 80 Wolf, EliEli Wolf  Fr TE 82 Wolf, EthanEthan Wolf Jr WR 83 Blanc, CodyCody Blanc  Sr WR 85 Orradre, ThomasThomas Orradre  So WR 87 Fetzner, LoganLogan Fetzner  Jr TE 88 Creamer, NeikoNeiko Creamer  So TE 89 Jumper, WillWill Jumper  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 2 Tuttle, ShyShy Tuttle So DB 3 Osborne, MarquillMarquill Osborne Fr DL 4 Lewis, LaTroyLaTroy Lewis  Sr DL 5 Phillips, KyleKyle Phillips So DB 6 Kelly Jr., ToddTodd Kelly Jr. Jr DB 7 Gaulden, RaShaanRaShaan Gaulden  So DB 8 Martin, JustinJustin Martin Jr DE 9 Barnett, DerekDerek Barnett Jr DB 10 Henderson, D.J.D.J. Henderson Jr LB 11 Smith, AustinAustin Smith So DB 12 Moseley, EmmanuelEmmanuel Moseley Jr DB 13 Foreman, MalikMalik Foreman Sr LB 14 Sapp, Quart'eQuart'e Sapp So LB 17 Bates, DillonDillon Bates  So DL 19 Taylor, DarrellDarrell Taylor  Fr LB 20 McDowell, CortezCortez McDowell Jr LB 21 Reeves-Maybin (C), JalenJalen Reeves-Maybin (C) Sr DB 22 Abernathy, MicahMicah Abernathy So DB 23 Sutton (C), CameronCameron Sutton (C) Sr DB 24 Miller, DarrellDarrell Miller So DB 26 Griffin, StephenStephen Griffin So DB 29 Berry, EvanEvan Berry Jr DB 30 Williams, DevinDevin Williams  Sr LB 34 Kirkland Jr, DarrinDarrin Kirkland Jr So DB 35 Gatewood, MaLeikMaLeik Gatewood  Fr LB 36 Bryant, GavinGavin Bryant  So DL 39 Vickers, KendalKendal Vickers  Jr DL 40 Mixon, DimaryaDimarya Mixon Jr LB 41 Berry, ElliottElliott Berry Jr LB 43 Bates, BenBen Bates  Jr LB 47 Knoll, LandonLandon Knoll  Fr LB 48 Maddox, DaJourDaJour Maddox  Fr DE 50 Vereen, CoreyCorey Vereen Sr LB 51 Bynum, KennyKenny Bynum  Sr DL 52 Butcher, AndrewAndrew Butcher  Fr LB 53 Jumper, ColtonColton Jumper Jr DL 55 Picou, QuayQuay Picou So DL 90 Folger, CharlesCharles Folger  Sr DL 94 Stokes, TylerTyler Stokes  So DL 95 O'Brien, DannyDanny O'Brien  Sr DL 97 Bain, PaulPaul Bain  So DL 99 Mckenzie, KahlilKahlil Mckenzie So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 25 Medley, AaronAaron Medley Jr P 27 Townsend, TommyTommy Townsend  Fr PK 30 Foster, HoldenHolden Foster  Jr H 31 Henry, ParkerParker Henry  So PK 39 Jones, AlexAlex Jones  Fr PK 43 Toser, LaszloLaszlo Toser  Fr LS 46 Lovingood, RileyRiley Lovingood  Fr LS 52 Medford, ElijahElijah Medford  So LS 53 Bradshaw, WillWill Bradshaw  Jr P 93 Daniel, TrevorTrevor Daniel  Jr	Head coach Butch Jones - 4th year Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike DeBord (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach) - 2nd year Bob Shoop (Defensive Coordinator) - 1st year Willie Martinez (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach) - 4th year Steve Stripling (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach) - 4th year Zach Azzanni (Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coordinator) - 4th year Robert Gillespie (Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator) - 4th year Don Mahoney (Offensive Line Coach) - 4th year Larry Scott (Tight Ends Coach) - 1st year Tommy Thigpen (Linebackers Coach) - 4th year Michael Szerszen (Director of Strength and Conditioning) - 1st year Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: April 19, 2016

2016 recruiting class

2016 recruits
Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Daniel Bituli LB	Nashville, TN	Nashville Christian School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	Jul 18, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ja'Quain Blakely LB	Moultrie, GA	Colquitt County	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Aug 2, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Devante Brooks TE	Washington, DC	St. John's College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jan 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Baylen Buchanan DB	Suwanee, GA	Peachtree Ridge	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Jan 1, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyler Byrd ATH	Naples, FL	Naples	5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Feb 2, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Marquez Callaway ATH	Warner Robins, GA	Warner Robins	6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	Jan 21, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Carlin Fils-Aime RB	Naples, FL	Naples	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jul 30, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jeff George WR	Dodge City, KS	Dodge City C.C.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 6, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jarrett Guarantano QB	Oradell, NJ	Bergen Catholic	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Apr 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Corey Henderson WR	Shreveport, LA	Memphis University School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Mar 30, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
D.J. Henderson DB	Dodge City, KS	Dodge City C.C.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 17, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Alexis Johnson DT	Fort Scott, KS	Fort Scott C.C.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 17, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brandon Johnson WR	Plantation, FL	American Heritage	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 2, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ryan Johnson OL	Brentwood, TN	Brentwood Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Jul 19, 2014
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jonathan Kongbo DE	Surrey, BC, CA	Arizona Western C.C.	6 ft 5.5 in (1.97 m)	264 lb (120 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nathan Niehaus OL	Cincinnati, OH	Colerain	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jan 1, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Marquill Osborne DB	Charlotte, NC	Hough	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	Sep 6, 2014
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Austin Pope TE	Knoxville, TN	Christian Academy of Knoxville	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	Jun 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Marcus Tatum OT	Daytona Beach, FL	Mainland	6 ft 6.5 in (1.99 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jan 11, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nigel Warrior S	Suwanee, GA	Peachtree Ridge	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Latrell Williams WR	Lake City, FL	Columbia	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 17   Rivals: 14  247Sports: 14  ESPN: 16
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2016. "2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team". 247sports.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2016.

Schedule

Tennessee announced their 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral site game in the regular season. The Vols will host SEC foes Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, and will travel to Georgia, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.^[7]

Tennessee opens the season at home for the third time in the last four seasons, when it plays host to Appalachian State on September 3 in the first meeting between the two schools. The Volunteers will then face Virginia Tech in the "Battle at Bristol" at Bristol, Tennessee, on September 10 in front of what is expected to be the largest crowd in football history, over 150,000 fans at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Tennessee returns to Neyland Stadium for two home games, Ohio on September 17 and the Florida Gators on September 24. The Volunteers have faced the Gators to start the conference schedule 13 of the last 14 years. The first of two road games occurs at Georgia on October 1. Tennessee holds a 22–21–2 edge in the rivals' series, but is also seeking its first victory in Athens since 2006. On October 8, the Volunteers make their first-ever trip to College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&M. It will also be the first regular-season meeting between the schools. Tennessee is 2-0 all-time against the Aggies in post-season play. The Volunteers will also return to tradition this year with their annual November rivalry game against Kentucky on November 12, after last being played in October 2015.

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3		Appalachian State*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
September 10		vs. Virginia Tech*		Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, TN (Battle at Bristol)
September 17		Ohio*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
September 24		Florida		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry)
October 1		at Georgia		Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA (Rivalry)
October 8		at Texas A&M		Kyle Field • College Station, TX
October 15		Alabama		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)
October 29		at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC
November 5		Tennessee Tech*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
November 12		Kentucky		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry)
November 19		Missouri		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
November 26		at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry)
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Schedule Source:^[7]

References

1. Ostendorf, Greg (January 1, 2016). "Tennessee starts 2016 right, blows out Northwestern in the Outback Bowl". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
2. "Reserve QB Sheriron Jones is leaving Tennessee". Associated Press (Knoxville, Tennessee: AP Sports). Associated Press. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
3. "QB Jones back at Tennessee after brief stay at Colorado". Associated Press (Knoxville, Tennessee: AP Sports). Associated Press. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
4. "John Jancek out as Tennessee's defensive coordinator". Associated Press (Knoxville, Tennessee: AP Sports). Associated Press. January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
5. "Shoop to take over as Tennessee's defensive coordinator". Associated Press (Knoxville, Tennessee: AP Sports). Associated Press. January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
6. Elder, Mark (January 4, 2016). "Former Miami interim coach Larry Scott joins Tennessee staff". Associated Press (Knoxville, Tennessee: AP Sports). Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
7. Rice, Brian (October 29, 2015). "Vols Release 2016 Football Schedule". utsports.com (Press release). Knoxville, Tennessee: CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2015.