Jeremiah Telander

Last name is pronounced TEE-lan-dur CAREER HONORS 2024 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll 2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll CAREER Physical linebacker with a nose for the ball who stepped into a starting role at MLB during the 2024 campaign and will be counted on again in 2025 … Selected by his teammates as a member of Tennessee football’s leadership council for the 2025 season … Has seen consistent development throughout his career, including a rookie season in which he got better every single week and was the leading freshman tackler on the squad … Arrived on Rocky Top in December 2022, participating in Orange Bowl practices and then attending the game before going through his first spring practice in 2023 … Two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll who was also selected to the 2024-25 VOLeaders Academy … Totaled 149 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, three pass breakups and one interception ... Played in 38 career games with 20 starts. 2025 – JUNIOR Has started all 12 games at linebacker this season ... Made his 20th start for the Vols vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (11/29), posting seven tackles with one TFL and a half sack ... Led all players and tied a career-high with 10 tackles in road win at Florida (11/22), helping UT snap a 10- game losing streak in Gainesville ... Posted a seven-tackle performance for the fourth time this season against No. 18 Oklahoma (11/1), recording half a sack and two QB hurries ... Tallied six tackles with a half TFL in road victory over Kentucky (10/25) ... Recorded six tackles with one TFL at No. 6 Alabama (10/18) ... Turned in his third seven-tackle performance of the season in win vs. Arkansas (10/11), including a TFL in win over the Razorbacks ... Posted seven tackles to pass the century mark in his career during the Vols’ road overtime win at Mississippi State (9/27) ... Played in his 30th game as a Vol and registered six tackles with half a TFL in win over UAB (9/20) ... Had seven tackles in SEC opener vs. No. 6 Georgia (9/13) ... Finished season-opening win vs. Syracuse (8/30) with four tackles and one TFL and recorded his first-career interception on a tipped pass early in the third quarter that set up a UT touchdown. 2024 – SOPHOMORE Worked his way into starting role at middle linebacker and was a consistent performer … Played in all 13 games and started the final eight contests of his sophomore campaign as the Vols earned their first berth to the College Football Playoff … Ranked fourth on the squad with 43 total tackles and led the team with three fumble recoveries … Capped the season leading the Vols with a career-high 10 total tackles on 47 snaps in CFP First Round matchup at No. 6 Ohio State (12/21) … Made one stop with one QB hurry vs. UTEP (11/23) ... Posted six tackles and one TFL in win vs. Mississippi State (11/9), and recovered a fumble for the third time of the season ... Recovered his second fumble of the season in win vs. Kentucky (11/2) and finished the game with three total tackles ... Recorded his first-career sack in a 24-17 win over No. 7 Alabama (10/19), finishing the night with four total tackles and half a TFL ... Made his first-career start for the Vols in overtime win vs. Florida (10/12), making five tackles with a half TFL in a season-high 67 snaps ... Finished with five tackles and a half tackle for loss at Arkansas (10/5) ... Recorded three tackles and a PBU in shutout win over Kent State (9/14) as the defense held the Golden Flashes to 112 yards of total offense ... Notched one tackle and recovered a fumble in UT’s 51-10 victory over No. 24 NC State (9/7) ... Played 29 snaps and tallied four solo tackles in the season-opening win over Chattanooga (8/31). 2023 – FRESHMAN Saw action in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker and on special teams during his rookie season … Collected 35 tackles (15 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup … Led all freshmen on the team in tackles … Contributed five tackles and a tackle for loss in shutting down No. 17 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl (1/1) … Racked up six tackles and logged his first career pass breakup in the regular season finale vs. Vanderbilt (11/25) ... Tallied four total tackles against No. 1 Georgia (11/18) ... Posted three tackles and a half-tackle for loss at No. 14 Missouri (11/11) ... Collected five total tackles and logged his first career TFL in Homecoming win over UConn (11/4) ... Saw significant action in SEC home opener vs. South Carolina (9/30), playing 12 snaps at linebacker and making two total tackles ... Played 10 defensive snaps in win over UTSA (9/23) and finished the game with three total tackles ... Made his SEC debut at Florida (9/16), seeing action on special teams ... Saw more extensive action in home opener vs. Austin Peay (9/9), playing 20 defensive snaps and recording six tackles in the win ... Played seven defensive snaps in his collegiate debut during Vols’ season-opening win over Virginia (9/2). HIGH SCHOOL & PERSONAL Four-star linebacker prospect out of Georgia … As a senior, helped lead Gainesville High School to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the Georgia Class 6A State Championship game, its first appearance since 2012 … Racked up 13 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and blocked two PATs in the state title game … Tabbed a four-star recruit by ESPN and a high-end three-star prospect by the other major recruiting services … Rated as the No. 11 linebacker in the country and the No. 27 player in the state of Georgia by ESPN … Considered the No. 33 linebacker prospect in the nation by Rivals and No. 80 by On3 … Tabbed a Region 8-6A first-team selection at linebacker in 2022 … Earned back-to-back Region 7-3A Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020 and 2021 while playing for North Hall High School … Named to the 2021 Georgia High School Association Class 3A First Team All-State team as a junior after garnering all-state honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2020… Recorded 112 tackles, 25 TFLs, 14 sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception as a senior … Made 137 tackles, 33 TFLs, three sacks and picked off three passes as a junior … Compiled 143 tackles as a sophomore in 2020 … Was also a standout track and field athlete and played basketball in high school … Won a sectional title and placed fourth at the Georgia Class 3A state championship meet in the high jump as a sophomore in 2020 … Committed to the Vols in June 2022 after compiling more than 25 Division I offers, including 18 from Power Five programs … Coached by Josh Niblett (Gainesville HS) and Sean Pender (North Hall HS) … Full name is Jeremiah James Telander … Son of Steven and Angela Telander … His father, Steve, played college football at UMass before getting into coaching and spending time as an assistant coach at Missouri, Bowling Green, UTEP and UMass … Majoring in communication studies … X handle is @jeremiahteland1 … Instagram handle is @jeremiahtelander