Tri-Star Top 10: Tennessee’s Best College Football Players Through Week 5
As We Rapidly Approach the Midway Point of the College Football Season, There are Major Shakeups in the Top of the Rankings.
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. Marcus Stokes - QB, Memphis
90-of-123 | 1,371 passing yards | 14 touchdowns | 3 interceptions
Marcus Stokes makes his debut atop the Tri-Star Network’s CFB Player Rankings.
His teammate, Jaylin Carter, had held the No. 1 spot all season. Stokes has steadily battled his way up the board and now overtakes his backfield teammate.
Stokes is coming off his most dominant performance of the season during Memphis’ 59–8 victory over Charlotte. The junior quarterback completed 20 of his 25 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns. He also carried the ball nine times for a season-high 61 yards.
Through five games, no college football player in Tennessee has been more productive than Marcus Stokes.
2. Chris Parson — QB, Austin Peay
81-of-117 passing | 1,396 yards | 11 passing touchdowns | 1 interceptions | 4 rushing touchdowns
Parson enters week 6 with his highest ranking of the season.
Much like Stokes, Parson is coming off his most dominant passing performance of the year. He completed 19 of his 23 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns during Austin Peay’s 42–17 victory over New Haven.
The Brentwood native now has a massive test in front of him as the Governors prepare to face undefeated, No. 3-ranked Tarleton State. Parson delivered a career performance during Austin Peay’s overtime loss to the Texans last season, throwing for 293 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 194 yards and two more scores.
It would be unreasonable to expect that type of performance again, but Parson will need to deliver one of his best games of the season to keep pace with Tarleton State’s offense.
As we approach the midway point of the season, Chris Parson is the second-most productive college football player in Tennessee.
3. CJ Heard — S, Vanderbilt
39 tackles | 3 sacks | 2 forced fumbles | 3 pass deflections
CJ Heard takes the biggest leap in this week’s rankings, climbing from No. 9 to No. 3.
Heard is coming off back-to-back games with nearly identical results. Vanderbilt has lost its past two matchups against Auburn and No. 2 Georgia, but those defeats haven’t slowed him down. In fact, they have produced two of his best performances of the season.
Against Auburn, Heard recorded nine tackles—eight solo and one assisted—along with a pass deflection. He followed that with the exact same tackle split against Georgia, adding another pass deflection and a sack as the cherry on top.
The junior has now led Vanderbilt in tackles during consecutive games while continuing to make plays in the backfield and in coverage.
Heard’s consistency and impact against SEC competition have earned him a six-position jump and his first appearance inside the top three.
4. Junior Sherrill — WR, Vanderbilt
28 receptions | 474 yards | 3 touchdowns
Junior Sherrill also makes a massive jump in this week’s ranking as he continues to be a staple of Vanderbilt’s offense.
During last week’s loss to Georgia, Sherrill reeled in a season-high seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Sherrill has recorded four, five, six, six and seven receptions across Vanderbilt’s five games. His receiving totals have been just as steady: 70, 94, 108, 95 and 107 yards.
Consistency plays a major role in these rankings, and Sherill is the absolute definition of it this season.
The Nashville native has led his hometown team in receiving yards during every game, regardless of who was at quarterback. That dependability earns Sherrill his first appearance inside the top five.
5. Jax Leatherwood — QB, Tennessee Tech
122-of-183 passing | 1,448 yards | 15 touchdowns | 3 interceptions
Jax Leatherwood continues his climb through the rankings despite Tennessee Tech suffering its first loss of the season.
One week after throwing for a career-high 427 yards and five touchdowns against Wofford, Leatherwood completed 26 of his 46 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Western Carolina.
The Golden Eagles struggled to establish their rushing attack, finishing with only 53 yards on the ground and forcing Leatherwood to carry nearly the entire offensive workload. He helped Tennessee Tech remain within striking distance through the first half before Western Carolina pulled away for a 44–20 victory.
Leatherwood threw his only interception during the third quarter, marking just his third of the entire season. His 342 passing yards also marked his second consecutive game with more than 300.
Leatherwood now has 1,448 passing yards and 15 touchdowns through five games. His volume, production and back-to-back explosive performances move him up to No. 5.
6. DeSean Bishop — RB, Tennessee
88 carries | 540 yards | 7 touchdowns
Welcome back to the top 10, DeSean Bishop.
The Tennessee running back delivered one of the best individual performances by any player in the state this season, carrying the ball 34 times for a career-high 220 yards and three touchdowns in the Volunteers’ 24–14 victory over Auburn. The performance earned him Tri-Star CFB Co-Player of the Week honors.
With Tennessee’s passing game struggling, Bishop completely took over after halftime. He scored on runs of 25 and 44 yards during the third quarter before carrying the ball five consecutive times on Tennessee’s final scoring drive, finishing it with a five-yard touchdown.
All three marks—34 carries, 220 yards and three touchdowns—established new career highs.
Bishop has now rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. His season résumé was already strong, but a 220-yard performance against an SEC opponent launches him back into the rankings at No. 6.
7. Jaylin Carter — RB, Memphis
70 carries | 513 yards | 6 touchdowns | 1 receiving touchdown
For the first time this season, Jaylin Carter is no longer sitting atop the rankings.
Carter remained productive during Memphis’ 59–8 demolition of Charlotte, rushing 15 times for 76 yards. However, he was overshadowed by Marcus Stokes and a passing attack that accounted for five touchdowns.
That doesn’t erase what Carter has accomplished. The sophomore has rushed for 513 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He has also added 56 receiving yards and another score.
Carter’s four-touchdown performance against Arkansas State is still one of the best games by any running back in Tennessee this season, but the players ahead of him have strengthened their résumés against better competition.
He takes a significant drop from No. 1 to No. 7, but his explosiveness and efficiency keep him comfortably inside the top 10.
8. Denver Harper — WR/Returner, Austin Peay
11 receptions | 304 receiving yards | 5 touchdowns | 1 rushing touchdown | 2 punt return touchdowns | 1 missed-field-goal return touchdowns
There may not be a more versatile player in Tennessee than Denver Harper.
The Austin Peay freshman scored three touchdowns in three different ways during the Governors’ 42–17 victory over New Haven. Harper opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown reception before returning a punt 83 yards for another score late in the second quarter.
Apparently, that wasn’t enough.
On New Haven’s next possession, Harper caught a missed 56-yard field-goal attempt in the back of the end zone and returned it 100 yards for his third touchdown of the half.
Harper has now reached the end zone as a receiver, runner, punt returner and missed-field-goal returner. He has scored nine touchdowns despite recording only 11 receptions this season.
His limited offensive volume makes him difficult to compare with the players ahead of him, but nobody on this list has consistently created explosive plays in as many different ways. Harper re-enters the top 10 at No. 8.
9. Arion Carter — LB, Tennessee
33 tackles | 1 sack | 4 tackles for loss | 2 fumble recoveries | 1 pass deflection
Arion Carter drops four positions this week, but his impact remains impossible to overlook.
The senior linebacker recorded six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss during Tennessee’s 24–14 victory over Auburn. He also recovered a fumble for the second consecutive game, giving the Volunteers possession near midfield during the second quarter.
Carter has now recorded at least six tackles in each of his four appearances this season. His 33 total tackles are especially impressive considering he missed Tennessee’s season opener because of suspension.
He may not have produced the same eye-catching numbers as some of the players moving ahead of him, but Carter continues to serve as the centerpiece of Tennessee’s defense.
His steady production against SEC competition keeps him inside the rankings at No. 9.
10. Zion Rutledge — LB, Chattanooga
56 tackles | 2 sacks | 4.5 tackles for loss | 1 forced fumble | 1 pass deflection
Zion Rutledge makes his top-10 debut after becoming one of the most productive tacklers in the state.
The Chattanooga linebacker has recorded 56 tackles through six games, including 13 or more in three of his past four appearances. He is coming off his best performance of the season, recording 14 tackles as the Mocs faced Mercer.
Rutledge’s development becomes even more apparent when looking at his weekly totals. After opening the year with five and six tackles, he has recorded 13, six, 13 and 14 over his past four games.
He has also contributed two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass deflection, proving his impact extends beyond simply cleaning up tackles.
Rutledge replaces ETSU linebacker Dre Delinois, whose production has cooled after an outstanding start. With 40 tackles across his past four games, Rutledge is moving in the opposite direction.
His recent surge earns him the final position in this week’s Tri-Star CFB Top 10.
Midseason Movement
The season has reached the point where early flashes are no longer enough. Conference competition is strengthening résumés, breakout performances are reshaping the order, and several productive players are being pushed outside the top 10.
With another full slate ahead, nobody’s position is safe.
Honorable Mentions
Mason Mims — QB, ETSU (119/169 passing, 1,397 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, 3 interceptions)
Cam’Ron Lacy — WR, MTSU (31 receptions, 335 yards, 4 touchdowns)
TJ Peyton — RB, ETSU (87 carries, 506 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns, 7 receptions, 54 receiving yards, 1 touchdown)
Kristian Ozane — LB, Chattanooga (44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 pass deflection)
Gabe Nunez — WR, Tennessee Tech (29 carries, 475 yards, 3 touchdown)
Offensive lineman are being left off this list, due to lack of stats to back up their ranking. Stay tuned for an updated ranking in the future!