KNOXVILLE, Tenn. β Tennessee football will honor its seniors in its final home game this Saturday against Missouri. Vol seniors and coaches reflected on their Neyland finale this week leading up to the game.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Hendon Hooker will be among the seniors playing their final game in Neyland. He said it's going to feel like another day in the office, but he's happy to see a bunch of familiar faces in the crowd against Missouri.
"It's surreal, bittersweet, very excited to see a lot of my family members there that haven't gotten a chance to see me play since I was little or in high school," Hooker said. "It's going to be a day for the family and a day for the Vols to go out there and enjoy Neyland."
Offensive lineman Jerome Carvin is another senior being celebrated on Saturday. He reflected on his time on Rocky Top with a lot of appreciation.
"I've loved my time here. I love this place. This place has been great to me, even going through the ups and downs, I would never change it," Carvin said. "I'm excited to go out there and run through the 'T' one last time."
The Tennessee coaching staff recognized the importance of this senior class and how they set the tone for how this team operates in the Josh Heupel era, and how much they have meant to the Vols' turnaround.
"There's so much inside of our building because of who these guys are," Heupel said. "It's a class that I'll remember forever and a group of guys that accepted me, accepted our staff, and allowed us to get off and running really quickly."
"Those guys are the reason this program, at least for us offensively, has been able to flip. They've fed off of coach Heupel's message, they've fed off of our message," offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said. "Those guys have been incredible. They've just remained positive and remained the same way throughout the process."
Tennessee and Missouri are set for a noon kickoff inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 12 for Senior Day. The Vols will look to cap off a perfect home record this season against the Tigers.
