TENNESSEE VOLS FOOTBALL: Lane selected as Camp National Defensive Player of the Weeek

Tennessee safety Dejuan Lane was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday following his impactful performance in the Volunteers' 24-14 victory over Auburn last Saturday.

Lane is the ninth player in program history to earn national player of the week honors from the Walter Camp Foundation, and just the fourth defensive player to do so. The last Vol to earn Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors was Darrell Taylor on Nov. 10, 2018, after racking up four sacks in a win over Kentucky.

Lane, who was also named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts, was a force on Saturday afternoon, leading UT with a career-high nine tackles. The Penn State transfer also set or tied career bests with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a pivotal interception.

Lane's interception came midway through the third quarter and halted an Auburn drive in its tracks. The junior safety returned the pick 32 yards to the Tigers' 44-yard line to set up a Tennessee touchdown on the very next play. The interception was the third of Lane's career and his second this season after having a pick-six in the Vols' win at Georgia Tech in Week 2.

Lane came to the Volunteers with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. After a couple significant injuries in the Tennessee secondary, Lane has emerged as a leader.

One of the more interesting comments after the game came from Lane. He talked about the philosophy that Knowles has instilled.

The context was talking about a fourth-and-less than a yard situation near the Auburn 25 late in the game. The Tigers trailed by three. It was a pivotal call in which Auburn coach Alex Golesh rolled the dice and came up snake-eyes. A run attempt was shut down for no gain. The Vols went on to score the final touchdown that accounted for the 10-point difference.

"If we have an inch, we're going to defend it," Lane said.

And that defense earned him a national honor.

DB  Dejuan Lane vs. Auburn – Oct. 6, 2026WR Jalin Hyatt vs. Alabama – Oct. 16, 2022QB Hendon Hooker vs. Florida – Sept. 25, 2022DL/LB Darrell Taylor vs. Kentucky – Nov. 10, 2018QB Joshua Dobbs vs. Missouri – Nov. 20, 2016QB Joshua Dobbs vs. Georgia – Oct. 11, 2015QB Erik Ainge at Georgia – Oct. 8, 2006LB Jerod Mayo vs. Cal – Sept. 3, 2006DB Jason Allen vs. Alabama – Oct. 24, 2004