Todd Kelly Jr. will wear No. 24 in honor of fellow Knoxville native Zaevion Dobson, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting last December. Head coach Butch Jones confirmed the number change during his press conference Monday.

“That’s something that TK, we talked long and hard about it and he wanted to represent him, his family and this great community,” Jones said. “I think it speaks volumes for TK – I will make TK available for you after practice today and I think you’ll want to hear it from him  – I don’t want to speak for him. But I think it speaks volumes for his character, but also for the Dobson family and how close they are to our family.”

Dobson, 15, played football at Fulton High School and was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in July for shielding three girls from gunfire during the incident that claimed his life.

Kelly, who played at Webb High School in Knoxville, wore No. 6 during his first two seasons at Tennessee.