DeSean Bishop didn’t hear about the moment until he sat down in Tennessee’s postgame press conference.
The Vols had just wrapped up a 42-9 win over New Mexico State when wide receiver Braylon Staley did something that left DeSean’s brother speechless.
Following the Homecoming win, Staley walked toward the family and friends section.
There, front and center, he noticed Jaycion.
After a quick handshake, Staley reached into his back pocket.
A moment later, he held his game gloves outstretched to Jaycion.
For a second, Jaycion froze. His jaw dropped.
In that short, simple exchange one player giving a small piece of his game to a kid who watches him with wide eyes, something landed deeper than Staley might not have realized at the time.
By the time DeSean heard the story in the press room, he couldn’t help but smile.
It wasn’t just the gesture. It was who it came from and what it revealed about a locker room he believes in wholeheartedly.
“(Jaycion) is not afraid to approach anybody on this team. Like he’ll approach you like he already knows you,” DeSean said.
The moment also touched something more personal for DeSean.
Before he ever ran through the T, he was a standout at Karns High School dreaming of playing for the Vols. He arrived as a walk-on, grinding for every opportunity until finally earning a scholarship this spring. Through every step of that climb, his family has walked it with him.
“My family has found this place really home, especially being here,” he said.
The bond between the brothers and the program stretches back well before DeSean put on a Tennessee uniform.
“We grew up watching the Vols play. He’s big on ball itself,” DeSean said of Jaycion.
Football has been a steady part of their lives, and the past few years have carried a sense of steady movement forward.
“Just a journey we’ve been on just to make this place home has been like any other,” he said.
Hearing that a teammate took a moment to acknowledge his younger brother only reinforced how DeSean views the environment he plays in.
“That just shows who our team is, you know, selfless, like guys that love everybody, regardless if like your family,” he said. “You wear that Orange, you’re family.”
Staley’s father, Brian, also reacted to the moment online, adding to a small but meaningful exchange that connected two families on a Saturday night in Knoxville.
