Countdown to the 2023 season: 30 days until it is football time in Tennessee
Tennessee will kick off its 2023 football season in 30 days.
Senior defensive lineman Roman Harrison wears jersey No. 30 and enters his fifth season at Tennessee.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Harrison has appeared in 47 games for the Vols, recording 88 tackles and 15.5 tackles for a loss.
He came to Tennessee from Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge, Georgia.
The Vols will kick off its 2023 season Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and ABC will televise the contest.
Tennessee’s home schedule has contests against Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
The Vols’ road schedule features games at Alabama, Florida,Kentucky and Missouri.
The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s third under head coach Josh Heupel.
Tennessee will play Florida Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee continues its preparation for Saturday’s game against No. 6 Florida.
Ahead of the SEC East matchup, Jeremy Pruitt discussed the development of three Tennessee linebackers in Roman Harrison, Tyler Baron and Morven Joesph.
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 03, 2020 – Linebacker Roman Harrison #30 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Harrison, a sophomore, has played in seven games, recording four tackles and three for a loss this season.
“Roman played really well early,” Pruitt said. “Last year he was a really, really good special teams player for us. Played some minutes there, especially on third down.
“He got a little bit banged up early in the season and his role probably decreased a little bit, but he’s getting healthier and it’s good to get him back.”
KNOXVILLE, TN – AUGUST 26, 2020 – Linebacker Tyler Baron #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics
Baron, a freshman, has appeared in seven games for the Vols in 2020, totaling 16 tackles and two for a loss.
“It seems like he plays more and more snaps every game,” the third-year Tennessee head coach said. “Not unusual for a young guy. He just continues to earn the opportunity.”
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 – Linebacker Morven Joseph #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Joseph, another freshman, has appeared in all seven contests for Tennessee this season. He has recorded two tackles and 0.5 for a loss.
“Morven’s a guy that really can play a lot of different positions because of his versatility,” Pruitt said. “We’ve moved him around a little bit, but really in the last several weeks, you start seeing the game kind of slowing down for him, which is good to see because he’s a guy that plays really, really fast.”
