Vols Set For SEC Media Day
photo by UT Sports
Atlanta is the epicenter of the sporting universe this week as Tennessee participates in 2025 SEC Football Media Day Tuesday afternoon at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Hotel at Centennial Park.
The Volunteers, who open the season in Atlanta against Syracuse in the Aflac Kickoff Game, are paired with Texas in the afternoon session that runs from 1:30-5:30 p.m. ET. Fifth-year head coach
Josh Heupel will be joined at #SECMD25 by leadership council players linebacker
Arion Carter, defensive tackle
Bryson Eason and tight end
Miles Kitselman.
SEC Network will have full coverage throughout Tuesday.
Heupel will be
live on the main stage at 1:30 p.m. and the SEC Network set at approximately 3 p.m. Heupel is scheduled to appear during the 5 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter.
SEC Now on SEC Network sets the stage for the day at 7 a.m.
Heupel and players will visit with more than 1,000 media throughout the day, as well as ESPN and SEC Network programming content that will be used throughout the season. SEC Media Day returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2022. Atlanta is also the site of Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the Major League Baseball Draft, which saw a school-record and nation-leading eight Vols get selected through the first three rounds Sunday.
Carter is Tennessee's top returning tackler after gathering 68 a year ago as a sophomore. The 2025 SEC Football Leadership Council member was a leader on a Vol defense last season that allowed 16.1 points per game, its fewest since the 1998 national championship campaign.
Eason enters his sixth and final season having played in 48 career games with 21 starts. He finished 2024 with 25 total tackles and ranked third on the squad in tackles for loss with seven.
Kitselman, a former Alabama transfer, begins his second season with the program after a breakout 2024. He caught 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns and was a punishing blocker. He added one rushing score, and his five total touchdowns ranked third among SEC tight ends.
Heupel appears at SEC Media Day for the fifth time, compiling a 37-15 overall record during that span. His .712 winning percentage is the second-highest by a UT coach in the last five decades. Heupel spearheaded the Vols to their first College Football Playoff last fall and the winningest three-year stretch at UT since 1998-2000 with 30 victories since 2022.
The Vols begin practice on July 30 in preparation for their Aug. 30 opener against Syracuse in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is noon ET on ABC. It's the first meeting between the two teams since the 2001 season opener.