Volunteer Country

Pair of Tennessee football standouts earn recognition from the SEC

Colton Hood and Braylon Staley earned all-conference recognition from the conference after their performances against Syracuse in a week one victory for the Tennessee Volunteers
Shayne Pickering|
Tennessee defensive back Colton Hood (8) recovers a fumble and runs it into the end zone for a touchdown during the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025.
Tennessee defensive back Colton Hood (8) recovers a fumble and runs it into the end zone for a touchdown during the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

A pair of Tennessee football standouts earned SEC honors after each scored a touchdown in the season opener against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.

Cornerback Colton Hood received SEC Defensive Player of the Week after locking down receivers in his Volunteers debut and receiver Braylon Staley earned the SEC Freshman of the Week recognition after hauling in a long touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Aguilar.

SEC Defensive Player of the Week -- Cornerback Colton Hood

Hood made a loud entrance to his time as a Vol, putting forth a clinic on how to cover receivers at a premier level in this game that generated excitement about the future of the position.

He would go on to finish with four tackles, three pass breakups, and a fumble return for a touchdown against the ACC opponent.

With Rickey Gibson now expected to be sidelines for an extended period of time according to Josh Heupel, Hood will be asked to step up again in a cornerback room with a couple of players sidelined.

SEC Freshman of the Week -- Receiver Braylon Staley

Staley made perhaps the most exciting play of the game for Tennessee Volunteers fans as he hauled in a deep pass that resulted in a touchdown, an explosive element of the offense that was non-existent last season.

Overall, he would tease with the century mark, recording four catches for 95 yards and his long touchdown as he steps into a starting role after redshirting last season.

Braylon Staley
Aug 30, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Braylon Staley (14) catches a touchdown pass against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

TEAM IMPACT MOVING FORWARD

This pair of perimeter playmakers are going to be counted on to step into larger roles for the Tennessee football program this year and if week one was any indication, they are off to a strong start.

If both Hood and Staley maintain this level of play, the projected ceiling of the team performance for this season could be raised even higher.

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Shayne Pickering
SHAYNE PICKERING

Shayne Pickering is a multimedia journalist with experience covering a variety of collegiate programs. He has several years of experience covering teams within the college athletics scene.

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