Freshman Participation Tracker: Tennessee-Virginia

No.12 Tennessee (1-0) defeated Virginia (0-1) 49-13 in front of a Nissan Stadium record crowd of 69,507 on Saturday. As the Vols cruised to victory, they were able to get snaps for several true Freshmen. Volquest tracks the participation here.

Total Freshmen Participants (13)

CB Rickey Gibson, LB Jeremiah Telander, LB Arion Carter, DL Daevin Hobbs, DL Nathan Robinson, OL Vysen Lang, TE Ethan Davis, RB Khalifa Keith, RB Cameron Seldon, WR Dayton Sneed, QB Nico Iamaleava, LEO Caleb Herring, and Safety John Slaughter.

Freshman Snap Count Log

*Note*This portion will only count offensive/defensive snaps

Nico Iamaleava Makes Debut

The No.1 player in the 2023 On3 Rankings, Nico Iamaleava, made his debut on Saturday and was greeted by a loud ovation and eventual “Nico” chant. The game was well in hand, but Iamaleava looked poised and in control of what Tennessee asked him to do.

The former five-star finished his day 2-3 for 11 yards and added 8 yards on just one carry.

Freshmen Running Backs Get First Carries

Tennessee’s running back room shined during Saturday’s win, with Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson all shining at times. With the game in hand, the Vols were able to get Khalifa Keith and Cameron Seldon work.

Seldon got the first opportunity and got two carries. He only managed four yards on those opportunities, while Keith also got two carries and went for eight yards on his touches.

Freshmen Defenders Earn First Reps

The Tennessee defensive coaching staff has more depth than at any other time in the Josh Heupel era. On Saturday, they were able to get multiple freshmen snaps, including at meaningful times in the game.

In a return to the mid-state, Arion Carter was the second Mike linebacker to get into the game. He came in in relief of Aaron Beasley, and the touted freshman made four total tackles.

Another highly touted recruit that received snaps on Saturday was Daevin Hobbs. After missing the spring due to an injury, Hobbs found himself getting reps on Saturday in the season opener. He recorded three solo tackles during the contest.

With Austin Peay on the horizon on Saturday (5 pm Eastern Time, ESPN+/SEC Network+) it is likely more freshmen get work if the Vols handle business accordingly.