2025 Tennessee Volunteers Football Awards

The Tennessee football team is one game away from completing their season, as all they have left is the Music City Bowl game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Here are the 2025 award winners for the Tennessee Volunteers along with a runner up in each category.

Breakout Player of the Year - DeSean Bishop

Runner Up: Dominic Bailey

DeSean Bishop was slotted in to take on a much bigger role than he had just a season ago, and he did an excellent job with it. He replaced a record holder at Tennessee and will finish the season with over 1,000 yards. Bishop has quickly become a reliable player for the Vols, and he has truly hit a different stride in this season of work in his redshirt-sophomore season.

Offensive Freshman of the Year - Braylon Staley

Runner Up: David Sanders Jr

Braylon Staley was a star this season, and he made the most of his opportunity. Especially towards the end of the season, as the Tennessee Volunteers have the chance to be even more dominant in his redshirt-sophomore season. The redshirt-freshman has done a great job working out of the slot, even mastering a role that many believed Squirrel White had done a solid job with in the past couple of seasons. He finished the season over 800 yards and will have Biletnikoff pre-season expectations come next year.

Defensive Freshman of the Year - Ty Redmond

Runner Up: Edwin Spillman

Ty Redmond finished the season with a team-high three interceptions, and is someone who made the most of the chance that he was given off the back of two injuries to the DB room, which never cleared up. Of course, those two injuries are Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson. Redmond was a starter for the Vols, and he did a great job with some obvious growing pains, which is to be expected. He will likely be the starter yet again for the Vols come next season, as fans will look to see his development from year one to year two.

Assistant of the Year - William Inge

Runner Up: DeRail Sims

William Inge is one of the better assistants not only on this Tennessee Volunteers staff, but in the nation. He is the linebackers coach for the Vols, and he had a very successful season with the orange and white. He helped put guys like Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander in the best positions to succeed, which even led to Carter being able to enter his name into the NFL Draft. Inge is someone who will get the best out of his guys, and his production showed.

Future Star - Jadon Perlotte

Runner Up: Daune Morris

Jadon Perlotte was someone who really started to see more reps in the later portion of the season, and he quickly became a top defender with the Vols showing his explosiveness on the field. His ability to fly around to the ball, and get out in a flexed role quicker than others showed that he is one of the more unique defenders on this team, and he has a very bright future with the Vols as long as things continue to grow. He will have a bigger role next season, and this will likely be a good thing for Tennessee.

Most Underrated Player of the Year - Edrees Farooq

Runner Up: Shamurad Umarov

Edrees Farooq is someone who has become a top defensive back for the Tennessee Volunteers, and he is easily the most underrated player in that room. I also believe he is the most underrated player on the roster, as he had a very solid season. He was one of the better defensive players this season, as he finished the season with a total of four pass deflections, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Best Team Performance - Tennessee's Win Against Florida

Vol — Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6), along with and defensive backs Ty Redmond (4) and Andre Turrentine (2), celebrate the win over Florida in an NCAA college football game on November 22, 2025, in Gainesville, Florida. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Runner Up: ETSU Game

The Tennessee Volunteers finished the season 8-4 with a bowl game to go. They had some ups and some downs, but one game that has stuck with everyone is the Vols ending a streak that dates back to 2003. That streak is against the Florida Gators in The Swamp. The Vols jumped on the Gators quickly, and they finished with a huge win, which felt like the biggest win of the season by far. This was their best team performance overall, although there are many things that need critiquing like their lack of scoring in the second half, and the conservative play style after jumping out to a lead.

Defensive Player of the Year - Colton Hood

Runner Up: Arion Carter

Colton Hood was phenomenal in his first season with the Tennessee Volunteers. He finished the season with an interception and a forced fumble, all while recovering a fumble. He finished with two touchdowns this season, along with 8 pass deflections this season. He was the lockdown corner for the Tennessee Vols after McCoy and Gibson went down with an injury. He was the star of the group, and deserves to be considered as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Offensive Player of the Year - Chris Brazzell

Runner Up: Joey Aguilar

Brazzell had a huge season for the Vols in production, as he finished the season with over 1,000 yards. The last wide receiver to have over 1,000 yards for the Vols in a season was Jalin Hyatt (who won the Biletnikoff in 2022). Brazzell had a huge season and was someone who was even viewed as a question mark entering the season. Luckily for Tennessee, Brazzell exceeded expectations. He was great for Tennessee and is now off to the NFL Draft.

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