University of Tennessee Athletics
2022 Tennessee Football Highlights
Tennessee culminated its first 11-win season since 2001 with an emphatic 31-14 victory over No. 7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The 14 points tied for the fewest scored by Clemson all season. The Vols won 11 overall games and six SEC contests while playing the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule (.645 opponent winning percentage). UT defeated three out of the last four national champions in the process.
The Volunteers finished ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls, their highest finish since 2001, and it happened in Josh Heupel’s second season.
Tennessee tied a school record with six victories over top 25 opponents at the time of the meeting, matching the 1998 national championship team.
Tennessee defeated four foes in the final Associated Press Top 25, which was the second-highest total among teams in the final poll behind only Georgia's seven. The Vols beat No. 5 Alabama, trounced No. 13 Clemson by 17 points in Miami, recorded their largest margin of victory (27 points) over No. 16 LSU since 1940 and toppled No. 22 Pitt on the road in overtime.
Head coach Josh Heupel was tabbed as the 2022 Associated Press Coach of the Year, becoming the sixth coach in program history to earn the prestigious honor. Heupel joined College Football Hall of Famers Gen. Robert Neyland (1951), Bowden Wyatt (1956), Doug Dickey (1967), Johnny Majors (1985) and Phillip Fulmer (1998). Heupel was chosen as a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award Coach of the Year and the George Munger Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club.
Tennessee shattered 13 team single-season offensive records in 2022, including total points (599), points per game (46.1), total offense (6,832), total offense per game (525.5), yards per play (7.2), total touchdowns (79), passing touchdowns (38), rushing touchdowns (40), completion percentage (68.7), passing efficiency (181.4), passing yards (4,239), fewest interceptions (3) and first downs (330).
Tennessee started the year 8-0 for the first time since 1998 and rose to No. 1 in the season’s initial College Football Playoff rankings. The Vols became just the seventh program in the playoff era to hold the No. 1 ranking. It was the first No. 1 ranking for the program since UT finished the 1998 campaign as national champions.
Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver, becoming the first in Tennessee history to do so. Hyatt earned the honor of becoming the 13th unanimous first-team All-American in school history (selected first team by every organization). Hyatt is the 78th overall first-team All-American in school history. Hyatt won the SEC receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (67), receiving yards (1,267) and receiving touchdowns (15). Hyatt shattered the school record for receiving touchdowns with 15, which led all Power Five players.
Jalin Hyatt’s five touchdown receptions in the Alabama win stood as an all-time Tennessee single-game record and tied the all-time SEC single-game record.
Four Tennessee players earned first-team All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches—wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, quarterback Hendon Hooker, offensive tackle Darnell Wright and defensive end Byron Young. The four selections were the most for the program since 2006.
For the first time in program history, Tennessee led the nation in scoring offense (46.1), total offense (525.5) and passing efficiency (181.4).
No program in the nation was more explosive offensively than Tennessee. The Vols amassed 36 plays of 40+ yards from scrimmage—eight better than the next closest team (TCU). The 36 were the most by an FBS program since Oklahoma had 37 in 2017.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker secured the highest Heisman Trophy voting finish by a Tennessee player in 25 years with fifth place. Hooker, who was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, swept the SEC Offensive Player of the Year awards as selected by the coaches and Associated Press. Hooker compiled 3,565 yards of total offense and 32 total touchdowns, while finishing second in the nation in passing efficiency (175.51).
Tennessee’s attacking defense forced 22 turnovers—second-most in the SEC—and racked up 94 tackles for loss for an average of 7.2 per game, which was tops in the SEC and 11th in the FBS. The Vols limited opponents to 115.8 yards per game on the ground, a mark that ranked second in the SEC and 21st in the nation. Tennessee’s redzone defense stood tall, finishing third in the SEC and 13th in the FBS with a 75.0 percentage.
Special teams under Mike Ekeler proved to be dominant again as the Vols held opponents to 2.50 yards per punt return, which was tops in the SEC and sixth in the FBS. UT also tallied 331 total punt return yards, good for second in the SEC and third in the nation. The Vols were top five nationally in punt return average with 16.55 ypr.
Neyland Stadium’s homefield advantage was on full display all season as the Vols went 7-0 in its confines, outscoring opponents 387-152. They sold it out for six consecutive games and drew a total of 703,727 fans for an average of 100,532—both of which ranked in the top five nationally. It was the first time since 2007 that UT sold out six or more games.
Tennessee was must-see TV as the Vols were involved in two of the top three most-watched college football regular season games of the year. A total of 11.6 million viewers witnessed UT beat Alabama on the Third Saturday of October, while 13.1 million tuned in for the Vols’ game at Georgia. Then, 8.6 million viewers watched UT beat Clemson by double-digits in the Orange Bowl—the most-watched non-semifinal edition of the game since 2017. Nine of the Vols’ games this season drew over three million viewers.
Tennessee hosted the sport’s biggest platform as ESPN College GameDay originated twice from campus, doing so prior to the Alabama and Florida games. It was the first time since 2002 that UT hosted the show multiple times in the same season. Both shows drew over two million viewers.
The ESPN College GameDay broadcast live from Rocky Top the morning of the Alabama game drew 2.2 million viewers—a number reached only seven times previously dating to the start of the 2017 college football season. The final hour of the show drew 2.98 million viewers.
The CBS broadcast of Tennessee football’s 52-49 win over previously unbeaten Alabama on Oct. 15 was watched by more than 11.6 million viewers. It also marked the most points surrendered by the Crimson Tide since 1907.
In the spring of 2023, Wright (first round - 10), Hooker (third round - 68), Hyatt (third round - 73), Tillman (third round - 74) and Young (third round - 77) were all chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft. Tennessee produced the second-most picks through the first three rounds of the draft with five. The Vols' four offensive selections through the first three rounds tied for the most in the nation.
