Three former Tennessee Vols are headed to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas
Tennessee Vol fans will see a handful of former players take part in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11. However, it's probably a smaller number than many of them expected during third quarter of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday evening. The San Francisco 49ers overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit to defeat […]
Tennessee Vol fans will see a handful of former players take part in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11. However, it's probably a smaller number than many of them expected during third quarter of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday evening.
The San Francisco 49ers overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit to defeat the Detroit Lions 34-31 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Niners' comeback in the third quarter was kicked off by a highlight-reel catch by former Vol Jauan Jennings on the 49ers' first scoring drive of the second half.
The win puts the Niners in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2019 season, meaning it will mark Jennings' first trip to play in the sport's biggest game.
However, the Lions' loss means four former Vols will miss out on the Super Bowl. Cameron Sutton, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Hendon Hooker, and Emmanuel Moseley all had a shot at earning a ring if the Lions simply could have held onto a three-score lead in the second half, which would have meant six former Vols in the big game.
That's because the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the day 17-10. Kansas City's Trey Smith will be looking to claim his second straight Super Bowl title. OL Wanya Morris was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2023. Both were on the Tennessee roster together with Jennings in 2019.
Morris spent his first two seasons in Knoxville for Jeremy Pruitt but transferred to Oklahoma for his final two years after Pruitt's dismissal. For those wondering if he still considered himself to be a Vol, he represented Tennessee during the Senior Bowl last year.
Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend started his career with Tennessee in 2015, but he redshirted and transferred to Florida before the following season. He went on to star at Florida, where his brother Johnny Townsend also played. As such, he's not included here because he didn't play a snap for UT while becoming an accomplished player for one of their main rivals.
Regardless of who wins between the Chiefs and 49ers, a former Volunteers will be raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy over his head on Sunday night in Las Vegas as a Super Bowl champion. That's not a bad thing, even if some Vol fans wish there would have been more.
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