A little more than 24 hours after completing his first season at Tennessee, Gabe Jeudy-Lally confirmed it would be his only season with the Vols. The cornerback who started 11 games this season after transferring in from BYU having started his career at Vanderbilt, announced via social media on Tuesday night that he is declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Jeudy-Lally played his first three seasons for the Commodores and spent one season with the Cougars and Vols, and he’s opted not to play his extra season of collegiate eligibility in order to turn pro.
Jeudy-Lally made his 11th and final start on Rocky Top in Monday’s 35-0 win against Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, totaling five tackles and one pass breakup in a shutout of the Hawkeyes.
He finished the season with 41 tackles, fourth-most on the team, and four tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
In a graphic posted to his Twitter account, Jeudy-Lally shared the following message:
“Man, what a journey it has been. I want to thank my family, friends, coaches, and the man above for giving me the opportunity and support to play this fantastic game.
“If you had told me, as a five-year-old living in New York City, that the future would look like this, I would have never believed it. Every journey, however, does look different, and that is the beauty behind it. Three schools, two degrees, and five years later, so many memories and bonds were created during the whole process, and I will cherish them forever.
“I want to give a special thank you to my mom and stepdad for even allowing me to be in this position today. For those who know my mom, she worked countless hours to afford me this opportunity to play the game I love and get the best possible education at the same time. I can never repay her for the countless hours she spent doing everything in her power for me and being the best possible friend, and mentor in the world. To my stepdad, thank you for believing in a skinny little kid pushing me to play sports and sacrificing your time to make all my dreams come true.
“To all of my coaches along the way, I thank you guys for constantly pushing me regardless of circumstances. To my childhood coaches, thank you. You guys built the foundation for me to begin to achieve my goals. To my high school position coach, thank you for being a mentor and family at the end of the day. You instilled a great deal of confidence in me when, at times, I didn’t have it. Finally, to all of my college coaches along the way, thank you for trusting me to not only make plays on the field but also lead the guys around me along the way.
“To my family and friends, THANK YOU. The support you guys have shown me is second to none. Regardless of the result, regardless of the moment, all of you loved me, and no one will understand how much that meant to me, especially at my lowest.
“To all my teammates, I appreciate all of you more than you know. To those past and present, know it’s always love, and you all will be my brothers for life.
“To the BEST fan base in the country! Thank you for all the support, cheers, and soldout stadium all year. Choosing to come to Tennessee has genuinely been a blessing and one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I wouldn’t have my journey end in any other way. Though this might be the end of this current journey with all of you, know it’s GBO til I die!
“With all this said, I am excited to announce I will be foregoing my final year of eligibility and declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Thank you!”
“#1 signing off! Love, GJL”
Jeudy-Lally came off the bench to play rotational snaps at cornerback in his first two games at Tennessee before entering the starting lineup at Florida in September. He started the rest of the way, providing a constant as Doneiko Slaughter dealt with an early-season injury and Kamal Hadden was lost for the season in the loss at Alabama in mid-October. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder used his experience to provide reliable play throughout the season for the Vols.
He had tackles for loss against Austin Peay and Florida and ended the first half at Alabama with a sack. His interception came in the fourth quarter of the win against Texas A&M, a long return allowing Tennessee to add to its 17-13 lead late in the game. He also stripped a Connecticut player of the football on a tackle for loss to force a fumble that Tyler Baron picked up and returned for a touchdown in that Homecoming rout.
Jeudy-Lally had a pair of pass breakups against Texas A&M and added PBUs against UTSA, Missouri and in the first quarter against Iowa.
His season-high in tackles came against Kentucky (seven) and he had five tackles against Austin Peay, Alabama and Vanderbilt, his former team.
Jeudy-Lally came to Tennessee in January 2023 as a four-star transfer, ranked the No. 160 overall transfer and No. 29 transfer cornerback in the previous cycle by 247Sports, after one season at BYU. He played in all 13 games and started 10 times for the Cougars, totaling 47 tackles and a team-leading seven pass breakups. He made a season-best seven tackles against Arkansas and had three PBUs against Utah Tech.
In 23 games over three seasons at Vanderbilt, Jeudy-Lally started 13 times and totaled 63 tackles, two pass breakups, two interceptions and two tackles for loss. He started 10 games for the Commodores in 2021, totaling 50 tackles with one interception. Jeudy-Lally intercepted a pass against Tennessee in the 2020 edition of the in-state rivalry.
He completed his Vanderbilt degree in human and organizational development (with a minor in business) in three years.
Jeudy-Lally lists Austin, Texas, as his hometown, but he played his high school football at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte before signing with Vanderbilt’s 2019 recruiting class.
In 49 college games, Jeudy-Lally started 34 times and totaled 151 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions.
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