MOBILE, Ala. – Three leaders on the 2021 Tennessee football team – wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., offensive lineman Cade Mays and cornerback Alontae Taylor – will represent the squad at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The game will be televised live by NFL Network with VFL Charles Davis serving as analyst. VFL Mike Keith, the “Voice of the Tennessee Titans,” will call the action on SiriusXM NFL Radio Channel 88.
Jones Jr. fulfills a lifelong dream of playing in the all-star game he attended annually as a kid growing up in Mobile. The 2021 SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year was the only player in the nation with over 800 receiving yards, 200 punt return yards and 600 kickoff return yards this past fall. His 132.5 all-purpose yards per game was second in the SEC and 16th in the nation. He received his master’s degree from UT in December.
It’s the third consecutive year that Tennessee has sent at least one wide receiver to college football’s most prestigious postseason all-star game.
Mays, who began his career at Georgia, played two seasons with the Vols and started all 17 games he played in. A 2021 second-team All-SEC selection, he started 10 games at right tackle and was a two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week this past fall.
Mays not only continued a family legacy of Vols, he follows in his father’s footsteps 27 years later at the Senior Bowl. Kevin Mays, a 1994 All-SEC guard and captain, was one of three former UT players who were selected to the 1995 Senior Bowl.
Taylor has drawn rave reviews this week in Mobile. He finished his senior season with a career-best 60 tackles, six pass breakups and two interceptions. The Vice Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council, Taylor registered 162 tackles and 19 passes defended in his four seasons. He earned his degree from UT in communication studies in December.
All three players served pivotal roles in helping the program complete a remarkable turnaround that featured seven victories and a Music City Bowl berth following a 3-7 season a year prior.
Tennessee has produced 131 Senior Bowl invitees dating back to 1951, including Jones, Mays and Taylor.
All-Time Tennessee Senior Bowl Invitees
1951 – Bud Sherrod
1952 – Ted Daffer, Hank Lauricella, Bill Pearman, Gordon Polofsky
1954 – Mack Franklin
1955 – Darris McCord
1957 – Buddy Cruze, John Gordy, Johnny Majors
1958 – Bill Anderson
1959 – Carl Smith
1960 – Lebron Shields
1962 – Mike Lucci
1963 – John Hudson
1964 – Dick Evey, Mallon Faircloth
1965 – Steve DeLong (MVP)
1966 – Frank Emanuel
1967 – Johnny Mills, Paul Naumoff
1968 – John Boynton, Bob Johnson, Dewey Warren
1969 – Charles Rosenfelder
1970 – Steve Kiner, Jack Reynolds
1971 – Chip Kell, Tim Priest
1972 – Ray Nettles, Bobby Majors, Curt Watson
1973 – Jamie Rotella, Conrad Graham
1974 – Eddie Brown
1977 – Andy Spiva
1979 – Robert Shaw
1980 – Roland James
1981 – Danny Spradlin
1982 – Brian Ingram, Lee North
1983 – Darryal Wilson
1984 – Mark Studaway
1985 – Bill Mayo, Carl Zander
1986 – Eric Swanson, Daryl Dickey
1988 – Anthony Miller, John Bruhin
1989 – Keith DeLong, Jeff Francis
1990 – Marion Hobby, Eric Still
1991 – Tony Thompson, Vince Moore, Alvin Harper (MVP)
1992 – Dale Carter, Bernard Dafney, Chris Mims, Chuck Smith, Jeremy Lincoln
1993 – Todd Kelly
1994 – Charlie Garner (MVP), Cory Fleming
1995 – Kevin Mays, James Stewart, Billy Williams
1996 – DeRon Jenkins, Jason Layman, Jeff Smith
1997 – Jay Graham , Tyrone Hines, Joey Kent
1998 – Jonathan Brown, Terry Fair, Leonard Little, Tori Noel, Trey Teague
1999 – Shawn Bryson, Jermaine Copeland, Steve Johnson, Peerless Price, Al Wilson
2000 – Chad Clifton, Dwayne Goodrich, Tee Martin, Spencer Riley, Raynoch Thompson, Darwin Walker
2001 – David Leaverton, Cedrick Wilson, Eric Westmoreland
2002 – Will Barthlolomew, Andrew Lott, Will Overstreet, Travis Stephens, Fred Weary
2003 – Julian Battle, Rashad Moore
2004 – Scott Wells
2005 – Dustin Colquitt, Cedric Houston
2006 – Cody Douglas, Parys Haralson, Jesse Mahelona, Albert Toeaina
2007 – Arron Sears, Jonathan Wade
2008 – Erik Ainge (MVP), Brad Cottam
2009 – Robert Ayers, Arian Foster, Anthony Parker
2010 – Morgan Cox, Chris Scott, Dan Williams
2011 – Luke Stocker
2012 – Malik Jackson
2013 – Mychal Rivera, Dallas Thomas
2014 – Ja’Wuan James, Daniel McCullers
2017 – Joshua Dobbs, Cameron Sutton
2020 – Jauan Jennings, Darrell Taylor
2021 – Josh Palmer, Trey Smith
2022 – Velus Jones Jr., Cade Mays, Alontae Taylor
Three VFLs Set For Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday in Mobile
