The Depth Chart: No. 15 Tennessee Football at Mississippi State

A closer look at No. 15 Tennessee’s unofficial depth chart against Mississippi State on Saturday (4:15 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium:

Quarterback

Starter	Joey Aguilar
Backup	Jake Merklinger
Backup	George MacIntyre

Joey Aguilar through three games has completed 78 of 117 passes for 1,124 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has rushed 14 times for 37 yards and a touchdown. He was 15-for-22 for 218 yards and three touchdowns against UAB last week.

Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger completed 3 of 8 passes for 57 yards UAB. Freshman George MacIntyre did not play against UAB, but went 6-for-7 for 52 yards against ETSU on September 6.

Marklinger appeared in two games last season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 48 yards and running seven times for 22 yards. MacIntyre was a four-star prospect who was a headliner in Tennessee’s 2025 class, ranked as the No. 15 quarterback in the class and the No. 3 in-state prospect, out of Brentwood Academy.

Running Back

DeSean Bishop OR

Peyton Lewis OR

Star Thomas OR

Daune Morris OR

Justin Baker

Star Thomas is Tennessee’s leading rusher in yards, carries and touchdowns, with 42 attempts for 272 yards and four touchdowns through four games. DeSean Bishop has 38 carries for 263 yards and three touchdown and Peyton Lewis has 32 rushes for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

Starter	Chris Brazzell II
Backup	Radarious Jackson
Backup	Trey Weary
Starter	Mike Matthews
Backup	Travis Smith Jr.
Backup	Trey Weary
Starter	Braylon Staley
Backup	Amari Jefferson
Backup	Joakim Dodson

Chris Brazzell II leads Tennessee receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns, with 25 receptions for 426 yards and six touchdowns. Braylon Staley has 21 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Matthews has 16 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

Brazzell caught 29 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns last season, ahead of Matthews at seven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Staley had three catches for 21 yards in four games during a redshirt season.

Tight Ends

Starter	Miles Kitselman
Backup	Ethan Davis (OUT)
Backup	Jack Van Dorselaer
Backup	DaSaahn Brame OR
Backup	Cole Harrison

Miles Kitselman has 10 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown and is the only Tennessee tight end with more than two receptions through two games. Freshman Dasaahn Brame has two catches for 16 yards, freshman Jack Van Dorselaer has one catch for seven yards and redshirt freshman Ethan Davis has one catch for one yard.

Kitselman was one of Tennessee’s biggest surprises last season, catching 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns after transferring from Alabama. Davis had 13 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns last season. Van Dorselaer and Brame, two freshmen who were former four-star prospects, give the tight end room added depth.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle	Lance Heard
Backup	Bennett Warren
Left Guard	Wendell Moe
Backup	Shamurad Umarov
Center	Sam Pendleton OR
Backup	William Satterwhite
Right Guard	Jesse Perry OR
Backup	Sam Pendleton
Backup	Max Anderson
Right Tackle	David Sanders (PROBABLE)
Backup	Brian Grant

Tennessee’s offensive line has paved the way for 865 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns through three games. The Vols have allowed only two sack while throwing for 1,351 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Five-star freshman David Sanders Jr. has missed the first three games due to injury, but is probable for today’s game. Jesse Perry shifted to right tackle to replace Sanders while Wendell Moe Jr. replaced Perry at right guard and Shamurad Umarov stepped in at left guard.

Sanders headlined Tennessee’s recruiting class as a top-10 prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Pendleton transferred from Notre Dame and Moe, and Arizona transfer, has impressed at guard.

Defensive Tackle

Starter	Bryson Eason
Backup	Daevin Hobbs OR
Backup	Nathan Robinson OR
Backup	Isaiah Campbell
Starter	Jaxson Moi (PROBABLE)
Backup	Jamal Wallace OR
Backup	Ethan Utley

Defensive End

Starter	Dominic Bailey
Backup	Tyree Weathersby OR
Backup	Tyre West OR
Backup	Mariyon Dye

LEO

Starter	Joshua Josephs
Backup	Caleb Herring OR
Backup	Jordan Ross

Weakside Linebacker

Starter	Arion Carter
Backup	Ben Bolton OR
Backup	Jordan Burns

Middle Linebacker

Starter	Jeremiah Telander
Backup	Edwin Spillman

Cornerback

Starter	Jermod McCoy
Backup	Colton Hood OR
Backup	William Wright
Starter	Rickey Gibson II
Backup	Ty Redmond OR
Backup	Tre Poteat

Safety

Starter	Edrees Farooq OR
Backup	Kaleb Beasley
Backup	Dylan Lewis
Starter	Andre Turrentine
Backup	Sydney Walton OR
Backup	Timothy Merritt

Star

Starter	Jalen McMurray
Backup	Boo Carter
Backup	Marcus Goree Jr.

Arion Carter leads Tennessee with 32 tackles through two games. He has two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble. Joshua Josephs has 13 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks.

Jalen McMurray is the team’s second-leading tackler with 23. He has three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, with two passes broken up. Edwin Spillman has 16 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss

Jermod McCoy suffered a torn ACL while working out on his own in January. He returned to the practice field in a limited role during fall camp. Rickey Gibson III, Tennessee’s starter at corner opposite of McCoy, is also out for an extended period of time due to an arm injury.

Special Teams

Jackson Ross has punted 11 times for 481 yards, averaging 43.7 yards per punt with a long of 57. Six punts have been fair caught, eight have been downed inside the 20 and two have traveled 50 yards or more. Max Gilbert has 6-for-7 on field goals so far, connecting on a career long of 53 yards against ETSU in Week 2, and is 25-for-25 on extra points.

Boo Carter returned seven punts for 129 yards, averaging 18.4 yards per return with a long of 40. Daune Morris has returned three punts for 24 yards, with a long of 11, and Braylon Staley has returned one punt for two yards. Peyton Lewis has returned two kickoffs for a total of 42 yards, with a long of 24.