Tennessee Fans Aid Opponent Whose Family Lost Home in Hurricane

Volunteers fans stepped up to help a freshman offensive lineman at Tennessee-Martin ahead of Saturday’s game.

Tennessee fans were thrilled to watch the Volunteers crush Tennessee-Martin, 65-24, at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

But even more important than Tennessee’s massive win was the way Volunteers fans created a “blessing” for Skyhawks freshman offensive lineman AJ Marquez, whose family recently lost its Florida home in Hurricane Ian.

Days before the Volunteers and Skyhawks battled on the gridiron, a GoFundMe for Marquez had generated more than $18,000 on Thursday. Before the start of Saturday’s game, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that Marquez’s GoFundMe had generated more than $70,000 thanks to a flood of donations from Tennessee fans.

Marquez started the GoFundMe shortly after the storm as a way to help his family members get back on their feet. His mom, Seraya, and stepfather, Armando, bought their home in Port Charlotte, Florida, in 2021. Per Knox News, Marquez’s family members were in the house hiding in a bedroom when the storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 28.

While the 20-year-old Marquez was off at school when the storm hit, he wanted to ensure his family members were in a stable place after losing the home. At first, he was reluctant to start the fundraiser, as he didn’t want unnecessary attention brought to him and his family.

However, by the time Marquez walked into Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Vols fans had stepped up to support him in a big way.

“It put light in the dark,” Marquez said, per the News Sentinel. “We are in a very dark place where you don’t see many kind actions and kind things. It kind of gave me faith in humanity in a way.”

Alex Boggis, the assistant sports information director at UT Martin, was the mastermind behind getting Vols fans to support Marquez, tweeting Wednesday night and asking them fans to be “great fundraisers” to help Marquez, per Knox News. Tennessee athletic director Danny White and UT chancellor Donde Plowman shared the post.

While Marquez did not play in Saturday’s game against the Volunteers, he told the News Sentinel that he had become a big fan of the Volunteers.