IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced Wednesday that eight Tennessee Volunteers were tabbed as members of the 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Charles Campbell, McCallan Castles, Dayne Davis, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Ollie Lane, Keenan Pili, Javontez Spraggins and Jacob Warren represented UT on the list of a record 1,988 players from 339 schools who qualified for membership in 2024.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either:
- A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2023; or
- A graduated player, who has been out of high school at least (3) years;
And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or contributors throughout the 2023 season.
Tennessee’s eight NFF Hampshire Honor Society members in 2024 shattered the previous program record of three individuals recognized in 2018 and 2008. Twenty-six Volunteers have been tabbed to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society since its inception in 2007, and Warren becomes the first Vol to receive the distinction twice in his career.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 772 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
“We are thrilled to honor a record number of athletes as part of this year’s Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Over the last 18 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives.”
Campbell joined the Vols as a graduate transfer and served the program as the starting placekicker last fall. The Jackson, Tennessee, native was selected as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and put together a sixth-year, redshirt-senior campaign making 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) field goal tries and connecting on all 49 of his PATs. He earned his undergraduate degree in finance from Indiana’s Kelley School of Business in December 2022 and is making progress toward his MBA through UT’s Haslam College of Business.
Castles proved to be one of the most versatile tight ends in the SEC during his lone campaign on Rocky Top in 2023. The graduate transfer played in all 13 games and totaled 22 receptions for 283 yards and five touchdowns – the most by a Vol tight end since Mychal Rivera logged five in 2012. Castles received his master’s degree from Tennessee in December 2023 before playing in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
Davis enters his sixth season at Tennessee in 2024 and is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll who earned his bachelor’s degree in supply chain management from the Haslam College of Business in May 2023. The offensive lineman from Bluff City, Tennessee, played 319 snaps during the 2023 campaign and allowed only two sacks on the year.
Jeudy-Lally completed his final season of eligibility in 2023 with the Vols as a dependable cornerback, playing in all 13 games and starting the final 11 contests of the season. He ranked fifth on the team with 41 tackles and recorded four TFLs, one sack, one interception and five pass breakups. The Austin, Texas, native was a 2023 CSC Academic All-District honoree and SEC Academic Honor Roll member in his final season, working towards his master’s degree in recreation and sport management.
A local product and five-time SEC Honor Roll member, Lane completed his sixth and final season with the Vols in 2023 as a versatile contributor on the offensive line. The Knoxville native started the first four games of the year at center before finishing out the campaign at left guard, totaling a career-high 775 snaps on the season while allowing only two sacks. A two-time graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lane earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in May 2021 before receiving his master’s in management and human resources in December 2022.
A member of the Tennessee football leadership council, Pili heads into his seventh and final season of college football this fall after receiving an extension of eligibility waiter from the NCAA last year. The veteran linebacker from Las Vegas has played in 37 career games and made his first appearance for the Vols in the 2023 season opener vs. Virginia on Sept. 2. He earned his exercise science degree from BYU in December 2022.
Spraggins has anchored the Tennessee offensive line at right guard for all three seasons of the Josh Heupel era and heads into his fifth and final campaign with the Vols in 2024. Last season, he played 699 snaps and allowed only two sacks on the year while making 11 starts for the Big Orange. A four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Spraggins completed his bachelor’s degree in sociology in December 2023.
Warren wrapped up a well-rounded career for the Big Orange this past fall, starting all 13 games at tight end for his sixth-year, redshirt-senior season. The legacy Vol and Knoxville native is a second-year member of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society after receiving the distinction in 2023. He rounded out his tenure in Knoxville as a five-time SEC Honor Roll recipient and two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree who was a semifinalist for the NFF Campbell Trophy this past fall. On the field, Warren posted his best campaign in 2023 with 16 catches for 191 yards and four touchdowns.
Source: UT Sports
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