Tennessee names captains for nonconference matchup against New Mexico State
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Tennessee’s season hasn’t gone according to plan this fall, with the Volunteers carrying 3 losses into mid-November and any College Football Playoff dreams having evaporated with that home loss to Oklahoma a few weeks ago.
But Tennessee was still ranked in the latest CFP rankings on Tuesday night, coming in at No. 23. The 6-3 Volunteers can still finish strong and get to 9 wins in 2025, but to do that they’ll have to win out, and that challenge starts on Saturday afternoon with a nonconference matchup against New Mexico State (3-6) at Neyland Stadium. The Vols will kick it off with the Aggies at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and on Friday afternoon 4 captains were picked by Tennessee to lead the way on Saturday.
The Vols should have an extra bounce in their step on Saturday, coming off a bye after the demoralizing loss to the Sooners, and Josh Heupel‘s team will look to bounce back led by team captains Joey Aguilar, Jalen McMurray, Jourdan Thomas and William Wright.
The Tennessee football social media account celebrated the captain selections with this post on Friday afternoon:
Aguilar has been a bright spot for Tennessee this season in his first year in Knoxville. The senior signal-caller has thrown for 2,737 yards with 21 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, McMurray, a senior defensive back, has 43 total tackles, 27 of them solo, with 2 sacks. Thomas is a junior defensive back, while Wright, a senior defensive back, has 6 tackles in 2025, 3 of them solo.
The 4 players will be tasked with helping the Volunteers stay focused as a big favorite in a nonconference game.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
