Tennessee’s Princeton Fant having career year in final season

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Tight end Princeton Fant is having a career year in his final season on the University of Tennessee’s football team. In the 2022 season, Fant has become just the sixth FBS TE in the last 15 seasons with a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown!

In the previous four seasons, Fant never reached the checkered end zone. Through 10 games, he had four rushing and two receiving. In addition, who could forget that 66-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt against UT Martin?

Fant was recruited out of high school as a wide receiver, then switched positions to running back. Now, he’s thriving in the most versatile role on the field, the tight end position.

“It feels great to know that the coaches believe in you and they want to give you the ball in critical situations,” said Fant. “You know, that feels great...just leaving it all on the field for the team and helping the guys in the room as well.”

There to cherish those moments with Fant is his three-year-old daughter, Aaliyah.

“It means everything to me as a dad. As a father, you want to be there for your child, and that’s the main thing I want to do,” said Fant. “I want to give her the world. Whatever she wants, whatever she deserves, she deserves it all. So just to be there on the field with her and be there with her is a special moment.”

Tennessee is sporting its best season since 1998 and is now on the cusp of reaching the playoffs for the first time, despite the adversity the program went through in January 2021.

In the 2020 season going into 2021, there were tons of changes, including guys leaving the team, a new coaching staff, and new head coach Josh Heupel, but what gave Fant the confidence to stay?

“I just believe in the guys that I was with no matter what, how much adversity we go through, you know,” Fant said. ‘I always wanted to be there to help lead that team, and you know, just give these guys the motivation and the younger guys and just tell them guys that, you know, they can do it, and they can come out here, and we can build this program back up. I’m just proud of these guys.”

Not even two years later, the team is accomplishing things that haven’t been done in decades. Now, this 9-1 squad looks for its tenth win against the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday night.

If they win, it will mark the team’s first time winning ten regular season games since 2003.

Copyright 2022 WVLT. All rights reserved.