The 2022 Senior Class: Leaders, Program Changers, Vols For Life
Max Potter
There are few individuals who would weather the storm for so many years. A strong group who would stick with a team, a university, a program through thick and thin and uphold the values of perseverance, persistence and determination each and every day. That character defines the 2022 Tennessee Football senior class.
This group has faced uncertainty, doubt and turmoil, but through grit and a love for this special university, they have come out the other side, seeing the team and program rise to a place few ever thought it could go again.
Lest we forget the trying 2020 season each and every student-athlete went through. Between the limbo of whether there would be a season or not and having to exercise caution in every interaction just for the chance to suit up on Saturdays, it was no easy feat.
Pile that on top of two coaching changes in a five-year span and you find adversity that would make the common person throw in the towel and remove themselves from the situation entirely.
Not this bunch.
Playing at Tennessee, man, this means everything to me. To be able to represent my home city (Memphis) and my state – we grew up hard there, it’s a blue-collar town. You work hard for everything. All those values were instilled into me, and it has made me the player I am. The way I play, the way I carry myself. I represent my city and this state. Anywhere I go, I will always represent them, and they will always represent me.Jerome Carvin
Jerome will go down in the record books as an ironman for the Vols as he suits up in his 57th career game Saturday, the most career games ever played by a Vol. Carvin continually developed in his time at Tennessee, a common theme among the hardworking class of 2022. He didn’t allow a sack the entire 2021 season, playing just shy of 900 snaps on the year, and he has conceded just two sacks since his freshman year all the way back in 2018.
I am from this state, I love this state and there is nothing I feel more honor in than wearing the T on the side of my helmet. I give my all for Tennessee every single day, every single game.Jerome
“Tennessee means everything to me. I always have the T on me. Whether I am playing or I’m not, I am always going to represent,” he finished saying.
The story of these special Vols has taken quite the arc. Many committed to a program back in 2016 that was ranked for much of the season and spent a portion of the year top-10. Then, for those who got on campus in 2017, things took a turn for the worse and the Vols moved on from the 25th head coach, Butch Jones, before the final game even kicked off. Next came three years under Jeremy Pruitt which saw a come from behind bowl victory in Jacksonville, Florida. But just three months later, the doors to Anderson Training Center shuttered with the onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis and they would not fully reopen until a new regime came to town with head coach Josh Heupel in 2021. Of course, that brought with it a new group of classmates transferring in from all over the country.
Instantly for those newcomers, Tennessee became home.
“Since day one in Knoxville, I have felt nothing but love and comfort from the people that have been around me, not just in the community but here on campus,” quarterback Hendon Hooker said, who transferred after the end of the 2020 season. “There has been nothing but support and resources around to better me, not just in football but also off the field in what I want to do in my everyday life.”
I am really blessed to be here. This is a family environment, and that word is thrown around a lot in college football, but here at Tennessee it really means something. Lots of love from everyone around this program and making this place feel like home.Hendon Hooker
For Hooker and his peers, the road has not always been smooth. It is a grind, and the journey looks different for each person, but it is he who perseveres that reaps the greatest reward. Few Vols have felt that more than Trevon Flowers and Princeton Fant.
“Tennessee has taught me a lot about life,” Trevon, or Tre as he is known around the building said. “It’s not always going to be easy. Sometimes you have to put your foot down and go to work. Through the ups, through the downs, you have to continue to focus on bettering yourself.”
But this University and team mean more to Tre than just the results on the field.
Above all, it’s the relationships I have built in this place. Whether you win or you lose, the people are still going to be there, and they have been there with me through all of this. That has been a big thing for me.Trevon Flowers
Tre’s journey to Rocky Top is a well-told story that is incredibly unique. It did not come quickly or easily and there were trials along the way, but that is what makes the successes that much more special.
“Playing football for me was such a risk. I had only played it for one year and baseball was all I knew,” Tre finished saying. “I hadn’t held a football until my senior year, so all of this is just crazy. I mean, I went from not knowing down-and-distance to being here. It is just incredible; I was talking to my mom about that. I am just so blessed and have learned that I can do anything I put my mind to. It is all about how much you want to work for it.”
Another winding journey among the seniors is tight end Princeton Fant, or at least that's how he is listed. Fant enrolled at Tennessee in that 2017 season as a running back. After just one year, the athletic frame and build he possesses prompted a switch to tight end during which he had to learn the position, learn the technique and flourish through perseverance – a trait that has been on full display in his final season on Rocky Top.
Through all the change I experienced, I have learned a lot about how to handle adversity in life. On the field, off the field, I am just so thankful to be here. I am just blessed to have the opportunity to play at Tennessee. Being from Nashville and being able to come up here and represent my state, it means a lot. The fan base, the love, the culture, everything I have been able to get out of my experience is a blessing.Princeton Fant
Princeton has shown up on tape in a multitude of ways this season. From a 66-yard dime to Jalin Hyatt against UT Martin or punching in four rushing scores in three games against Alabama, UTM and Kentucky, the 6-2 tight end has morphed into more of a utility player. Don’t think he isn’t still a threat catching the football, as he has a catch in eight-straight games entering Saturday’s showdown with the Tigers. That versatility may pay dividends come spring when the next level calls.
These coaches, they push me hard every day to play my very best. Being able to play a bunch of different roles has been a blessing from God. This staff has been a huge help in developing me from the weight room to the field. Guys like Coach Golesh to Coach Heup, and all the offensive staff, they pushed me hard because they knew I could achieve greatness, and I am just thankful for them.Princeton
These seniors have left an unforgettable mark on the program. Bringing the University of Tennessee Volunteers from a point where the program was written off and doubted to the top of college football. That No. 1 ranking that appeared next to the name “Tennessee” on Nov. 1, that will never be forgotten. Not with all these men have endured. It is because of their contributions, their yearning to do it the right way and the sacrifices they put in that this team could achieve what it has. And that in and of itself is a story that rarely plays out.
1? game at a time#GBO ?? | #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/Sw84I09bPB
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 1, 2022