Braylon Staley named AP SEC Freshman of the Year, three Vols named All-SEC

Tennessee wide receiver Braylon Staley added another Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honor this week from the AP. Fellow wideout Chris Brazzell, offensive lineman Wendell Moe. And cornerback Colton Hood also picked up honors from the AP on Friday as well.  

Staley, who was also named SEC Freshman of the Week by the Coaches this week, burst onto the scene as the starting slot wide receiver in this offense and finished sixth in the conference with 806 yards off 64 receptions – to go along with six touchdowns.

His 64 receptions led Tennessee, were the third-most in the conference and second-most by any freshmen in FBS. His 806 receiving yards were the most among any freshmen in the conference and were the second-most in FBS. Same for his six scores that led all SEC freshmen and was fourth-best among FBS freshmen.       

The wideout graded out at 70.1 on the season (PFF) across 696 snaps. Staley produced two 100-yard performances (Arkansas, Kentucky) with three more showings finishing just yards shy (95 yds vs. Syracuse, 97 yds against Georgia, 92 yds against Alabama). The athlete found the endzone twice against Oklahoma and once against Syracuse, Georgia, Alabama and New Mexico State.  

Brazzell earned first-team recognition from the AP to go along with his first-team honor from the coaches this week. The playmaker became the third Tennessee wideout to record 1,000 yards in a single season in the Josh Heupel era joining Cedric Tillman in 2021 and Jalin Hyatt in 2022, leading the SEC with 1,017 receiving yards during the regular season, which ranks ninth in Tennessee single-season history.

The Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, who declared for the NFL Draft on Thursday and opted out of the Music City Bowl, paced the league with nine touchdown catches this year, which is tied for 10th in program history. Brazzell totaled four 100-yard performances in 2025 with a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia.

Joining Brazzell on the first team was Moe on the offensive line. The transfer was a fixture up front for the rejuvenated Tennessee offense, leading the offensive line with a Pro Football focus grade of 73.7. Moe, who also led all guards in the SEC with that PFF grade, allowed only one sack and 11 pressures while playing 689 offensive snaps.  

Hood, a fellow transfer into the program, saw his draft stock rise as he recorded 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception and eight pass-breakups. He returned one fumble for a touchdown and one interceptions for a touchdown as a Thorpe Award semifinalist and totaled the second-highest coverage grade (83.3) of all SEC cornerbacks.