University of Tennessee Athletics
Excellence in the Classroom Continues on Rocky Top for Tennessee’s Student-Athletes
January 27, 2025 | General, Tennessee Tailored
Fourth straight semester with all 16 sports with a team GPA above 3.00
The Fall 2024 semester was another record-breaking term for Tennessee Athletics, as the student-athlete population posted a cumulative 3.38 GPA, the second-highest GPA for a fall semester in UT history.
The sensational fall metrics included an overall student-athlete GPA of 3.38, the second-best performance for a fall term and tied for the second-highest performance overall in UT Athletics history.
By marking the 24th consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for 13 straight years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"At Tennessee, our student-athletes demonstrate a strong commitment to excel both academically and athletically. Their experiences on Rocky Top will certainly prepare them for future success in all areas of life," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White. "They consistently elevate expectations and establish a new benchmark for what it means to be a Tennessee Volunteer!"
Tennessee's men's student-athletes finished with a record-high combined GPA of 3.28 – the best figure for any term in UT's history. The new benchmark GPA was anchored by high semester record GPA marks for men's tennis (3.65), baseball (3.59), men's basketball (3.50) and football (3.18). All four sports with record semester GPAs also had significant competitive success, including baseball's first National Championship last June and football's first appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Men's tennis and men's basketball also reached the Elite in their most recent championship season last spring.
"We are thrilled to celebrate another banner semester in the classroom," said Senior Associate Athletics Director & Assistant Provost Chris Johnson. "Pursuing academic achievement transcends sport and remains at the core of our student-athletes' competitive spirit. This level of sustained success requires commitment from coaches, administrators, staff, and our Tennessee Tailored team in the Thornton center but is anchored to the academic grit and determination of each student-athlete. We are excited for these results to catapult our teams into the spring semester!"
Some of the additional academic highlights from the Fall 2024 semester include:
In addition, 33 former and current UT student-athletes earned degrees in December to culminate the fall semester:
Baseball (1)
Charlie Taylor, Business Administration (Master's)
Men's Basketball (2)
Jordan Gainey, Communication Studies
Jahmai Mashack, Psychology
Football (9)
Dominic Bailey, Communication Studies
Charlie Browder, Marketing
Dayne Davis, Management and Human Resources (Master's)
Bryson Eason, Communication Studies
Jackson Locke, Communication Studies
Luke Shouse, Marketing
Javontez Spraggins, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Dont'e Thornton Jr., Communication Studies
William Wright, Management
Rowing (5)
Sarah Abrams, Sport Management
Lili Binetti, Geology and Environmental Study
Casey Chronister, Mechanical Engineering
Sophie Hill, Psychology
Sasha Radovanovic, Business Administration (Master's)
Soccer (2)
Nolyn Bartholomew, Kinesiology
MacKenzie Haba, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Softball (2)
Grace Keene, Hospitality and Tourism Management
Olivia Underwood, Kinesiology
Men's Tennis (1)
Younes Lalami, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Men's Track and Field (6)
Israel Adesina, Aerospace Engineering (Master's)
Will Cahill, Retail and Merchandise Management
Javonte' Harding, Sport Management
Sterling Melancon, Communication Studies
Eli Nahom, Mechanical Engineering (Master's)
Gabriel Sanchez, Marketing
Women's Track and Field (2)
Emily Knight, Recreation and Sport Management (Master's)
Kayla Sweeney, Communication Studies
Volleyball (3)
Emilia Beeker, Sociology
Abby Ekeler, Communication Studies
Lauren Woodford, Business Administration (Master's)
The sensational fall metrics included an overall student-athlete GPA of 3.38, the second-best performance for a fall term and tied for the second-highest performance overall in UT Athletics history.
By marking the 24th consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for 13 straight years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"At Tennessee, our student-athletes demonstrate a strong commitment to excel both academically and athletically. Their experiences on Rocky Top will certainly prepare them for future success in all areas of life," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White. "They consistently elevate expectations and establish a new benchmark for what it means to be a Tennessee Volunteer!"
Tennessee's men's student-athletes finished with a record-high combined GPA of 3.28 – the best figure for any term in UT's history. The new benchmark GPA was anchored by high semester record GPA marks for men's tennis (3.65), baseball (3.59), men's basketball (3.50) and football (3.18). All four sports with record semester GPAs also had significant competitive success, including baseball's first National Championship last June and football's first appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Men's tennis and men's basketball also reached the Elite in their most recent championship season last spring.
"We are thrilled to celebrate another banner semester in the classroom," said Senior Associate Athletics Director & Assistant Provost Chris Johnson. "Pursuing academic achievement transcends sport and remains at the core of our student-athletes' competitive spirit. This level of sustained success requires commitment from coaches, administrators, staff, and our Tennessee Tailored team in the Thornton center but is anchored to the academic grit and determination of each student-athlete. We are excited for these results to catapult our teams into the spring semester!"
Some of the additional academic highlights from the Fall 2024 semester include:
- All 16 sports earned a team GPA above 3.00 (fourth consecutive semester)
- 66 student-athletes earned a 4.00 semester GPA
- 271 student-athletes were recognized on their respective Dean's Lists (most in UT history and nearly 50 percent of UT's undergraduate student-athletes)
- 80 percent of UT's student-athletes earned a 3.00 GPA
- Seven teams tied or bested their highest GPA for a fall term (football, men's basketball, baseball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's tennis, and men's tennis)
- Six of those teams reached an all-time high for any semester (football, men's basketball, baseball, women's basketball (tied), women's tennis, and men's tennis)
- Women's Tennis (3.79) tied for the highest term GPA recorded by any team (shares honor with Women's Golf in Spring 2017)
In addition, 33 former and current UT student-athletes earned degrees in December to culminate the fall semester:
Baseball (1)
Charlie Taylor, Business Administration (Master's)
Men's Basketball (2)
Jordan Gainey, Communication Studies
Jahmai Mashack, Psychology
Football (9)
Dominic Bailey, Communication Studies
Charlie Browder, Marketing
Dayne Davis, Management and Human Resources (Master's)
Bryson Eason, Communication Studies
Jackson Locke, Communication Studies
Luke Shouse, Marketing
Javontez Spraggins, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Dont'e Thornton Jr., Communication Studies
William Wright, Management
Rowing (5)
Sarah Abrams, Sport Management
Lili Binetti, Geology and Environmental Study
Casey Chronister, Mechanical Engineering
Sophie Hill, Psychology
Sasha Radovanovic, Business Administration (Master's)
Soccer (2)
Nolyn Bartholomew, Kinesiology
MacKenzie Haba, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Softball (2)
Grace Keene, Hospitality and Tourism Management
Olivia Underwood, Kinesiology
Men's Tennis (1)
Younes Lalami, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Master's)
Men's Track and Field (6)
Israel Adesina, Aerospace Engineering (Master's)
Will Cahill, Retail and Merchandise Management
Javonte' Harding, Sport Management
Sterling Melancon, Communication Studies
Eli Nahom, Mechanical Engineering (Master's)
Gabriel Sanchez, Marketing
Women's Track and Field (2)
Emily Knight, Recreation and Sport Management (Master's)
Kayla Sweeney, Communication Studies
Volleyball (3)
Emilia Beeker, Sociology
Abby Ekeler, Communication Studies
Lauren Woodford, Business Administration (Master's)
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