University of Tennessee Athletics
Five Incoming Vols Preparing For 2025 Polynesian Bowl
January 17, 2025 | Football
HONOLULU – Five members of the Tennessee #RockyTop25 signing class are participating in practices in preparation for the 2025 Polynesian Bowl to be played at Kūnuiākea Stadium on Friday night in Honolulu.
Kickoff for the contest is 9 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Quarterback George MacIntyre and offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. will represent Team Mauka. Wide receiver Travis Smith Jr., tight end DaSaahn Brame and defensive lineman Ethan Utley will play for Team Makai.
Future Volunteers have enjoyed great success at the Polynesian Bowl. The Volunteers have produced the game's last two most valuable players. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the recipient in 2023, while wide receiver Mike Matthews won the honor last year before enrolling at UT.
MacIntyre was a consensus four-star prospect and one of the top 100 recruits in the nation while prepping at Brentwood Academy. Sanders Jr. was considered the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect for the Class of 2025. Overall, the Concord, North Carolina, native was ranked at high as No. 4.
Smith Jr. prepped at Westlake High School in Atlanta and is a four-star playmaker, widely considered one of the top 10 receiving prospects in the country. Brame seeks to continue the Vols' tight end success after an accomplished career at Derby High School in Kansas. Utley, a Nashville native, is one of the top 200 overall recruits in this cycle and one of the elite interior defensive linemen who signed this December.
All five Vols participating in one of the top high school all-star game's in the country will enroll at Tennessee next week and participate in spring practice. Classes begin on Tuesday, Jan. 21 on the UT campus.
Kickoff for the contest is 9 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Quarterback George MacIntyre and offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. will represent Team Mauka. Wide receiver Travis Smith Jr., tight end DaSaahn Brame and defensive lineman Ethan Utley will play for Team Makai.
Future Volunteers have enjoyed great success at the Polynesian Bowl. The Volunteers have produced the game's last two most valuable players. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the recipient in 2023, while wide receiver Mike Matthews won the honor last year before enrolling at UT.
MacIntyre was a consensus four-star prospect and one of the top 100 recruits in the nation while prepping at Brentwood Academy. Sanders Jr. was considered the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect for the Class of 2025. Overall, the Concord, North Carolina, native was ranked at high as No. 4.
Smith Jr. prepped at Westlake High School in Atlanta and is a four-star playmaker, widely considered one of the top 10 receiving prospects in the country. Brame seeks to continue the Vols' tight end success after an accomplished career at Derby High School in Kansas. Utley, a Nashville native, is one of the top 200 overall recruits in this cycle and one of the elite interior defensive linemen who signed this December.
All five Vols participating in one of the top high school all-star game's in the country will enroll at Tennessee next week and participate in spring practice. Classes begin on Tuesday, Jan. 21 on the UT campus.
Players Mentioned
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