A crop of new faces made their Tennessee spring practice debut on a chilly Monday morning in Knoxville, Tennessee.
With many veterans from the 2023 season either departing for the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, Tennessee worked to fill its gaps through the portal and the high-school recruiting scene over the past year and through the offseason.
Fourteen players from the class of 2024 have enrolled at Tennessee and are on the field working out, including headliners such as five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews and four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger. Tennessee still has seven signees that will arrive later during the summer including five-star EDGE rusher Jordan Ross and four-star offensive tackle Bennett Warren.
Tennessee also addressed needs through the transfer portal this offseason with the addition of eight new players. The Vols hauled in OT Lance Heard from LSU, wide receiver Chris Brazzell II from Tulane, and cornerback Jermod McCoy from Oregon State, to name a few.
It’s tough to take away a ton of observations from the limited viewing the media had on the first day of spring practice as it was mainly by-the-books warm-up drills. Still, though, Tennessee’s newcomers looked settled in as they went through various drills with their position teammates.
While different heights and weights have been reported by various publications throughout their recruitment, Tennessee’s spring practice roster also gives a good look at the starting metrics for their newcomers.
The roster also presents a first look at numbers. Some of these numbers will stick through the 2024 season while some will change over the offseason. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava notably wore No. 12 during his freshman year spring camp before switching to No. 8 for his freshman season.
Social media has already been buzzing about the numbers, too. Many users on X think that Chris Brazzell looks like a Jalin Hyatt clone in the No. 11 jersey. And while Tennessee fans love Mike Matthew’s potential as a highly-touted prospect, some are hoping he moves away from the No. 89 jersey for the season.
More from RTI: Tennessee Football Notes And Observations: Spring Practice Number One
Here’s a look at the height, weight, year, and jersey number for all of Tennessee’s newcomers this season, via the official U.T. spring practice roster distributed to the media before practice on Monday:
2024 Transfer Class
WR Chris Brazzell II – #11
- R-SO, 6-foot-5, 195 pounds
CB Jermod McCoy – #13
- SO, 6-foot, 190 pounds
OT Lance Heard – #53
- SO, 6-foot-6, 335 pounds
TE Holden Staes – #19
- JR, 6-foot-4, 242 pounds
S Jakobe Thomas – #30
- R-JR, 6-foot-2, 192 pounds
CB Jalen McMurray – #12
- R-JR, 6-foot, 180 pounds
DL Jaxson Moi – #99
- JR, 6-foot-2, 300 pounds
TE Miles Kitselman -#87
- SR, 6-foot-5, 253 pounds
LB Eli Purcell – #52
- SR, 6-foot-2, 235 pounds
Class of 2024
WR Mike Matthews – #89
- FR, 6-foot-1, 186 pounds
WR Braylon Staley – #14
- FR, 6-foot, 180 pounds
S Boo Carter – #23
- FR, 5-foot-11, 185 pounds
RB Peyton Lewis – #22
- FR, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
CB Kaleb Beasley – #28
- FR, 6-foot, 180 pounds
QB Jake Merklinger – #12
- FR, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
OT Max Anderson – #71
- FR, 6-foot-5, 310 pounds
IOL William Satterwhite – #50
- FR, 6-foot-3, 300 pounds
LB Edwin Spillman – #47
- FR, 6-foot-1, 215 pounds
DL Kellen Lindstrom – #56
- FR, 6-foot-5, 240 pounds
DB Marcus Goree Jr. – #34
- FR, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds
OT Jesse Perry – #72
- FR, 6-foot-6, 295 pounds
S Edrees Farooq – #26
- FR, 6-foot, 190 pounds
IOL Gage Ginther – #78
- FR, 6-foot-5, 295 pounds
