Tri-Star Top 10: Tennessee’s Best College Football Players Through Week 3
The 2026 college football season is a quarter of the way finished, and competition is beginning to heat up.
This ranking considers players from each of the state’s Division I programs and weighs total production, efficiency, versatility, individual performances and level of competition.
These are the Tri-Star Network’s Top 10 college football players in Tennessee through Week 3.
1. Jaylin Carter — RB, Memphis
55 carries | 437 rushing yards | 7.9 yards per carry | 7 touchdowns
Jaylin Carter had a quieter week against UT Martin.
Carter carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards, recording a season-low 5.2 yards per attempt. He did also add a 17-yard touchdown on his only reception of the night. Yes, in Carter’s quietest game he recorded 79 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
Carter entered last week as the clear No. 1 player in the state. That gap has tightened a little bit, but 437 rushing yards, seven total touchdowns and nearly eight yards per carry are enough to keep him in the top spot.
Memphis now enters their bye week, giving the rest of the field an opportunity to close the gap. Carter could slide once the other contenders catch up in games played, but for at least this week the No. 1 spot still belongs to him.
2. Mason Mims — QB, ETSU
84-of-117 passing | 991 yards | 7 touchdowns | 2 interceptions
Mason Mims is the first FCS player on the list this week, entering at No. 2.
ETSU leaned heavily on it’s running game during a 35-27 victory over West Georgia, totaling 179 yards on 41 carries. Mims took advantage of his 24 pass attempts, completing 15 of them for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Mims has consistently provided through the air for the Buccaneers, completing 71.8 percent of his passes while averaging 247.8 yards per game. His continued success puts him firmly inside the top 3.
3. Marcus Stokes — QB, Memphis
70-of-98 passing | 1,053 yards | 9 touchdowns | 3 interceptions
Marcus Stokes makes his top 10 debut at No. 3 after being left out last week.
In hindsight, Stokes probably should have been included in last week’s ranking. He had already thrown for 795 yards and was coming off his best performance of the season, but a five-to-three touchdown-to-interception ratio was hard to defend. Stokes quieted much of that concern by adding 258 passing yards and four touchdowns to his résumé in the Tigers’ 45-21 win over UT Martin.
The junior passer now has 1,053 passing yards, ranking third among all FBS quarterbacks. Stokes also holds a 71.4 percent completion rate and has contributed on the ground, averaging nearly 23 rushing yards per game.
Like Jaylin Carter, Stokes now enters Memphis’ bye week with the rest of the field having an opportunity to climb the rankings. For now, however, Stokes secures the No. 3 spot.
4. Denver Harper — WR/PR, Austin Peay
8 receptions | 258 yards | 4 receiving touchdowns | 1 rushing touchdown | 1 punt-return touchdown
Denver Harper continues to find new ways to impact a game.
Harper was nearly absent from Austin Peay’s very limited passing attack this week against West Florida, with only one reception for just two yards. However, because Denver Harper is Denver Harper, he couldn’t stop there. He also had a single rush attempt that he, of course, took 41 yards for a touchdown.
Every week Austin Peay plays, you might as well pencil in an explosive play from the freshman.
Harper isn’t even the most-targeted receiver on his team, yet he is averaging 32.3 yards per reception and has scored six touchdowns in three different ways. His explosiveness and versatility keep him firmly positioned as the top receiver in the state.
5. Chris Parson — QB, Austin Peay
45-of-73 passing | 833 yards | 8 touchdowns | 1 interception
Chris Parson continues to light up the stat sheet while taking limited reps.
The 2026 UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year completed seven of his 16 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown this weekend during Austin Peay’s 38-16 victory over West Florida. However, he counteracted this by having his best rushing performance of the season with 14 carries for 59 yards and another score.
Sack-adjusted statistics discredit Parson’s mobility, but he now has 84 net rushing yards and two touchdowns on the season. Add that to his 833 passing yards and six touchdowns through the air, and Parson has accounted for 917 total yards and eight scores through four games.
The Brentwood native now prepares to face UT Martin in a game that the Tri-Star Network will be in attendance for. The Skyhawks are 1-3 and have struggled against the pass, with their best performance coming when they allowed 153 passing yards against Chicago State. The Governors could give Parson an opportunity to bolster his passing stats, however its recent approach suggests they will continue leaning heavily on the run.
Parson will struggle to catch up with Stokes or Mims due to limited snaps, but that does not diminish his impact. He may have dropped one position this week, but Parson remains firmly established as one of Tennessee’s top five best players.
6. Junior Sherrill — WR, Vanderbilt
15 receptions | 272 yards | 2 receiving touchdowns
Junior Sherrill has been the definition of consistency during the first three weeks of the season.
The senior receiver has had performances of four receptions for 70 yards, five receptions for 94 yards, and six receptions for 108 yards. This week against NC State was his best performance where he recorded his first two touchdowns of the season, driving Vanderbilt to their improbable 35-31 victory over the Wolfpack. This performance earned him Tri-Star CFB Co-Player of the Week honors.
Sherrill was left off the list last week, but as Vanderbilt enters its nine-game SEC stretch Sherrill’s impact on the team will become more evident and much more important for the Commodores. He debuts at No. 6 with plenty of opportunities to continue climbing the rankings.
7. Trey Cotton — S, UT Martin
33 tackles | 1 interception | 1 forced fumble | 1 defensive touchdown
Trey Cotton has quietly put together one of the most consistent defensive seasons in Tennessee through the first four weeks.
The UT Martin safety opened the season by making plays all over the field against Central Arkansas, recording nine tackles, forcing a fumble, and returning an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. While the turnovers haven't continued in the weeks since, Cotton's production certainly has.
What separates Cotton from several other defenders in consideration is the competition he's faced. In back-to-back games against FBS opponents, Cotton recorded 10 tackles against West Virginia before adding eight more against Memphis. That's 18 tackles in two games against FBS competition, showing his production hasn't been limited to opponents at UT Martin's level.
Cotton's 33 tackles may not lead other FCS defenders, but his combination of consistency, strength of schedule, and game-changing plays earns him the No. 7 spot in this week's rankings.
8. CJ Heard — S, Vanderbilt
22 tackles | 2 sacks | 2 forced fumbles | 1 pass deflection
CJ Heard has been a force to be reckoned with through three weeks.
The junior safety leads Vanderbilt in tackles (22), sack yards (30), and forced fumbles (2). The only commodore with more sacks than Heard is linebacker Nick Rinaldi, who was extremely difficult to leave off this list.
That level of backfield production is unusual for a safety. Heard has consistently found ways to affect the game near the line of scrimmage while remaining Vanderbilt’s leading tackler on the back end.
Vanderbilt now prepares to face Auburn, where its defensive backfield will be tested by Alex Golesh’s wide-split offense. Heard’s ability to diagnose plays, limit explosive gains and create pressure could make him one of the most important players on the field for the Commodores.
A strong performance against Auburn would give Heard an opportunity to climb even higher, but this early-season production has already earned him a place inside the top 10.
9. TJ Peyton — RB, ETSU
56 carries | 347 rushing yards | 4 touchdowns
ETSU is 2-2 this season, but it is not from a lack of offensive talent.
TJ Peyton’s worst performance—much like most of the Buccaneers’ roster—came against the Bill Belichick-coached North Carolina Tar Heels. Even then, he carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry.
Outside of ETSU’s beat down in Chapel Hill, Peyton has averaged 98.3 yards per game while scoring four touchdowns.
His dependability in the backfield, paired with Mason Mims’ arm talent, helps explain why the Bucs are averaging 40 points per game against FCS opponents.
Peyton dropped two positions this week, but it’s not due to a lack of production. Through Week 3, he remains firmly among the Top 10 college football players in Tennessee.
10. Tre’ Holloway — WR/RET, Tennessee Tech
12 receptions | 169 receiving yards | 2 receiving touchdowns | 1 rushing touchdown | 1 punt-return touchdown
Tre’ Holloway and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles are coming off a bye week, but his versatile production is enough to keep him in the Top 10.
Holloway is second on his team in receiving yards, behind Gabe Nunez with 193, and is tied for most receiving touchdowns. However, much like Denver Harper who we talked about earlier in this article, his impact extends far beyond the passing game. He has also found the end zone as a runner and on special teams.
The senior receiver has returned two kicks for 44 yards and seven punts for 172 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown. He has also carried the ball four times for 11 yards and another score, giving him 396 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns.
Tennessee Tech should return from its bye week refreshed and it attempts to maintain its position atop the Southern Conference. Although the week off allowed other players to move ahead of him, Holloway’s ability to contribute in multiple phases keeps him firmly inside the Top 10.
Honorable Mentions
Kevin Lalin — RB, UT Chattanooga (76 carries, 400 yards, 4 touchdowns)
Nick Rinaldi — LB, Vanderbilt (18 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections)
Roman Gagliano — QB, Middle Tennessee (616 yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 rushing touchdown)
DeSean Bishop — RB, Tennessee (43 carries, 286 yards, 4 touchdowns)
Dre Delinois — LB, ETSU (41 tackles)
Offensive lineman are being left off this list, due to lack of stats to back up their ranking. Stay tuned for an updated version in the future!