Tennessee and Chattanooga have revealed their captains for Saturday’s season-opening contest from Rocky Top.
The Vols will turn to four senior players as captains for Week 1:
- Redshirt senior WR Bru McCoy
- Redshirt senior LS Matthew Salansky
- Senior DL Omari Thomas
- Redshirt senior LB Keenan Pili
Notably, McCoy and Pili are making their return to the football field this Saturday after both saw their 2023 campaign cut short due to injury.
McCoy suffered a season-ending fracture-dislocation of his right ankle in Tennessee’s sixth game of the season, sidelining the Vols’ big-bodied target for the remainder of the year. The California native worked his tail off over the offseason and has said that he’s feeling good for the season. McCoy started off fall camp in a red non-contact jersey but removed it after just eight practices.
McCoy looks good to go.
“For Bru, you can tell just walking out the football field from him today at practice it was a big day for him,” Heupel said of McCoy on the first day of training camp. “Everything that’s gone into, from the injury, to the rehab, from mentally and physically, getting back to the point where you’re ready to go compete.”
Pili’s first season with Tennessee barely even got off the ground. The veteran linebacker transferred to Tennessee from BYU prior to the 2023 season but suffered a season-ending triceps injury during the season opener.
Pili and McCoy grew close as they rehabbed around each other during the season and the offseason, and Pili echoes the same sentiment as McCoy that he is ready to go for the season ahead. Pili was not limited during Tennessee’s training camp and will play a huge role in the middle of the Vols’ defense.
“We anticipate someone that’s going to be very active, very aggressive, and someone that’s going to be running sideline-to-sideline,” Tennessee LB coach William Inge said about Pili on Tuesday. “Someone who will be making all kind of plays. Everyone will know where No. 11 is on the football field. That’s kind of our vision that we want to create in him.”
Tomorrow’s Captains.#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/UrNCxaj2Tm
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 30, 2024
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Chattanooga also revealed their team captains heading into the start of the season on Saturday:
- Redshirt junior OL Reid Williams (No. 64)
- Senior DT Quay Wiggles (No. 0)
- Senior QB Chase Artopoeus (No. 9)
- Graduate Student TE Jay Gibson (No. 87)
- Senior DB Reuben Lowrey III (No. 7)
No. 15 Tennessee will host Chattanooga at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full on-site coverage.
Our Captains leading us through the 2024 season! 🏈🫡
#64 – @reidwilliams88
#0 – @quay3k_
#9 – @ChaseArtopoeus
#87 – @jaygibson_
#7 – @reubenlowery3 #GoMocsFB x #ClimbTheMtn pic.twitter.com/V1ccA7TvAE— Chattanooga Football (@GoMocsFB) August 30, 2024
