Staley Named SEC Freshman of the Year, Three Vols Tabbed to All-SEC Teams by AP

Braylon Staley vs. Georgia Pregame (2025)

Staley Named SEC Freshman of the Year, Three Vols Tabbed to All-SEC Teams by AP

December 12, 2025 | Football

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee standout wide receiver Braylon Staley was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Year while three other Volunteers were named to the Associated Press All-SEC teams for the 2025 season.

Staley was also recognized as the conference's freshman of the year by the league's coaches earlier in the week, becoming the third player in program history to achieve that honor and the fourth player under head coach Josh Heupel to win an SEC postseason individual award.

Fellow wideout Chris Brazzell II was named an All-SEC first-team selection, as well, along with offensive lineman Wendell Moe Jr. Rounding out the All-SEC honors for the Big Orange was cornerback Colton Hood, who earned a spot on the second team.

Staley had a breakout redshirt freshman season, ranking sixth in the SEC in receiving yards (806) and receiving yards per game (67.2). He led all SEC freshmen in both of those categories and also finished tied for the league lead among freshmen with six receiving touchdowns.

The Aiken, South Carolina, native, was tabbed as the SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season and posted 100-plus yard receiving games in wins over Arkansas (109) and Kentucky (105). Staley was recognized as one of 14 semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and was named to The Athletic Midseason All-Freshman Team earlier this season, as well.

Brazzell II emerged as one of the nation's top receivers in 2025 and led the SEC with 1,017 receiving yards during the regular season, which ranks ninth in Tennessee single-season history. The Biletnikoff Award semifinalist from Midland, Texas, also paced the league with nine touchdown catches this year, which is tied for 10th in program annals. Brazzell's breakout campaign featured four 100-yard receiving games, including a career-best 177-yard, three-touchdown outing in Week 3 against Georgia.

Moe Jr. was consistently rated among UT's top blockers by PFF and had the highest grade among the Vols' offensive linemen (73.7), a mark that also led all guards in the SEC. The redshirt junior from Long Beach, California, allowed just one sack and 11 pressures over 689 offensive snaps during the regular season while helping lead Tennessee to 482.0 yards of total offense per game, which ranked second in the SEC and fourth in the FBS.

Hood made a major impact in the secondary during his first season on Rocky Top, starting all 12 games at cornerback and totaling 50 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, one interception for a touchdown and eight pass breakups. The Thorpe Award semifinalist finished the regular season with an 83.3 coverage grade according to PFF, which ranked second among cornerbacks in the SEC and 18th in the FBS (minimum 300 coverage snaps).

The complete listing of individual award winners and AP All-SEC first and second teams can be seen below.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Coach of the Year — Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Offensive Player of the Year — QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Defensive Player of the Year — DE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Newcomer of the year — RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Freshman of the year — WR Braylon Staley, Tennessee

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB — Diego Pavia (u), Vanderbilt
RB — Ahmad Hardy (u), Missouri
RB — Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
WR — Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
WR — Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma
TE — Eli Stowers (u), Vanderbilt
OT — Cayden Green, Missouri
OT — Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
OT — Keagen Trost, Missouri
OG — DJ Campbell, Texas
OG — Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee
C — Jake Slaughter, Florida

Defense
DE/Edge — Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
DE/Edge — Colin Simmons, Texas
DT — Will Echoles, Ole Miss
DT — Christen Miller, Georgia
LB — CJ Allen, Georgia
LB — Xavier Atkins, Auburn
LB — Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
CB — Mansoor Delane, LSU
CB — Daylen Everette, Georgia
S — A.J. Haulcy, LSU
S — Bray Hubbard, Alabama

Specialists
PK — Tate Sandell, Oklahoma
P — Grayson Miller, Oklahoma
All-Purpose — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB — Ty Simpson, Alabama
RB — Jadan Baugh, Florida
RB — Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
WR — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
WR — Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
TE — Rohon Jones, Arkansas
OT — Cayden Green, Missouri
OT — Trevor Goosby, Texas
OG — Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
OG — Micah Morris, Georgia
C — Drew Bobo, Georgia

Defense
DE/Edge — Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas
DE/Edge — R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
DT — Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
DT — Chris McClellan, Missouri
LB — Josiah Trotter, Missouri
LB — Taurean York, Texas A&M
LB — Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma
CB — Colton Hood, Tennessee
CB — Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
S — Michael Taaffe, Texas
S — Wydett Williams Jr., Ole Miss

Specialists
PK — Peyton Woodring, Georgia
P — Brett Thorson, Georgia
All-Purpose — Ryan Niblett, Texas

2025 Tennessee Postseason Honors (as of Dec. 12)

RB DeSean Bishop
Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist
All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)

WR Chris Brazzell II
Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Semifinalist
All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches)

LB Arion Carter
Witten Award Semifinalist
All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)

OL Lance Heard
All-SEC Third Team (Coaches)

DB Colton Hood
Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist
All-SEC Second Team (AP)
All-SEC Third Team (Coaches)

OL Wendell Moe Jr.
All-SEC First Team (AP)

DB Ty Redmond
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Semifinalist
All-SEC Third Team (Coaches)
Freshman All-SEC Team (Coaches)

P Jackson Ross
Ray Guy Award Semifinalist

OL David Sanders Jr.
On3 True Freshman All-America Team
Freshman All-SEC Team (Coaches)

LB Edwin Spillman
Freshman All-SEC Team (Coaches)

WR Braylon Staley
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Semifinalist
SEC Freshman of the Year (AP, Coaches)
Freshman All-SEC Team

KOS Josh Turbyville
All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)