Tennessee football’s captains are set for its week two matchup against NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, the Vols announced on X.
Inside linebacker Keenan Pili, defensive tackle Elijah Simmons, center Cooper Mays and long snapper Matthew Salansky are the Vols’ four captains for the critical week two matchup. Pili and Salansky were both captains for Tennessee in its season opener against Chattanooga while receiver Bru McCoy and defensive tackle Omari Thomas were the other two captains.
Pili started at inside linebacker for Tennessee in its season opener against Chattanooga where he totaled two tackles and earned a 57.4 PFF grade in just 15 snaps. The former BYU transfer will certainly see a much bigger workload in week two in the more important matchup.
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Super senior Elijah Simmons got his final collegiate season off to a strong start in week one against Chattanooga when he totaled three tackles and 0.5 tackles for a loss against the Mocs. Simmons is listed as a co-starter on Tennessee’s defensive line but was a backup in the season opener behind Omari Thomas and Bryson Eason. Simmons played 14 snaps and earned a 61.3 PFF grade.
Mays is the super senior leader of Tennessee’s offensive line. A Preseason All-American by numerous outlets, Mays is the Vols starting center. He played the entire first half in Tennessee’s season opener against Chattanooga where he earned a 79.4 PFF grade in 54 snaps.
Salansky is Tennessee’s starting long snapper this season as he has been since the 2020 season. The Morristown, Tennessee native landed on the Burlsworth Trophy Watch List to open up the 2024 season.
Kickoff between Tennessee and NC State is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe are on the call for ABC.
