KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As the 2025 NFL season kicks off this weekend, 33 former Tennessee Volunteers are set to compete on football’s biggest stage.
Of those 33, 27 earned spots on active rosters while six begin the year on practice squads. A complete list of Vols in the NFL is available HERE.
The season opens Thursday night when quarterback Joe Milton III and the Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. On Friday, two-time Super Bowl champion Trey Smith and rookie defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott suit up for the Kansas City Chiefs as they host the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West showdown at Arrowhead Stadium. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on YouTube.
Twenty-three Vols who played under head coach Josh Heupel represent 22 different NFL teams, including running backs Dylan Sampson (Browns), Jaylen Wright (Dolphins) and Velus Jones Jr. (Saints). Safety Jaylen McCollough looks to build on a breakout rookie season as his Los Angeles Rams, alongside fellow VFL Byron Young, face Derek Barnett, Darrell Taylor and the Houston Texans on Sunday. McCollough appeared in all 17 games last season with one start, totaling 43 tackles, four pass breakups and four interceptions, including a pick-six.
Four rookies — Norman-Lott (Chiefs), James Pearce Jr. (Falcons), Sampson (Browns) and Dont’e Thornton Jr. (Raiders) — impressed during training camp to secure spots on active rosters. With Thornton Jr. making the Raiders’ opening-day roster, Tennessee has now produced at least one new NFL wide receiver in six straight seasons, including five in the past four years under Heupel.
