Princeton Fant stole the show on Saturday in Tennessee’s lopsided win against UT-Martin.
Fant was a jack-of-all-trades for Tennessee on Saturday. On top of his normal tight end position, the 6-foot-2 senior ran two touchdowns in from the fullback position.
Tennessee has utilized a fullback in some under-center formations the past couple games. After scoring from the fullback position against Alabama, Fant appeared very comfortable receiving the hand-off in the backfield on Saturday. Fellow tight end Jacob Warren took notice of Fant’s success in the new-found fullback position.
“Yeah, it seems like he did everything except for, you know, be a tight end on Saturday, right,” Warren said. “He’s one of those guys that you can really do a lot of different things with just because of his build and his athleticism and his strength and his speed and all that stuff. So yeah, being able to design runs for him to get the ball in the backfield.”
Fant showed off his arm talent on Saturday as well. The 6-foot-2 senior completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt, after receiving a swing pass from Joe Milton III, to go up 52-7 right before halftime.
“Call it a trick play if you want, but for him to be the guy to be able to pass and throw the ball 45 yards down the field to a receiver running full speed is pretty crazy too,” Warren said. “So yeah, I don’t know. It’s cool to see all the things he’s able to do.”
Warren was not surprised to see Fant play a multitude of roles for the Volunteers, as he considers Fant to be one of the best athletes on Tennessee’s roster.
“I think Princeton is up there at the top,” Warren said. “If not, if not one, like I don’t really know who else would be. You know, if you consider all things, you know, size, strength, power, speed, agility, all those things…I think pound for pound like for what he’s able to do and the versatility he has.”
Junior offensive lineman Cooper Mays has also taken notice of some of Fant’s raw athletic ability, considering Fant a one-of-a-kind talent.
“There’s very few people in our team that are kind of matching up with a guy like Princeton because he’s just so explosive and he’s quick, fast all around athletically,” Mays said. “He’s one of the most gifted people on our team. So when you’ve got a guy that has done everything, I think from playing a linebacker to tight end to wide receiver to running back, I mean, he’s done everything that you can kind of play on the football field. So that’s pretty indicative of how special he is as a player and an athlete. Just the raw meaning of athlete for sure.”
Fant also tallied one catch for 17 yards on Saturday. He could’ve hauled in a fourth touchdown on the day, but dropped the ball at the goal line. Fant does not care what his role is, as long as he is helping the Volunteers win.
“Honestly, whatever I can do to help the team win, whether it’s throwing the ball, running the ball, catching the ball, going in on punt, running down and hitting someone,” Fant said. “ Whatever it is I want to help us win.”
