This will be my 40th year covering Tennessee football at Knox News.
My critics would say that’s 40 years too long.
My most devoted readers would say, “He might not be that talented, but he does have staying power.”
My editors would say, “He’s not really a bad person, but I wish I had $10 for every complaint I've gotten about him.”
My former colleagues would say, “He was OK, I guess.”
Since this is an appropriate time for reflection, I decided to do a 40 for 40. So, I listed 40 of the best players I have covered.
That could have taken days if I had done the necessary research, but – as longtime readers know – research isn’t my strong suit. In keeping with the 40 theme, I avoided any research and gave myself 40 minutes to compile the list.
Did some outstanding
players get overlooked? Of course. And some of the players I listed were better in the pros than at UT.
There is no order to this. I typed the names as soon as they popped into my head:
Peyton Manning: He could beat a defense before the ball was snapped and is as good in commercials as he was on the field.
Chuck Webb: My favorite Tennessee running back. The Vols might have won the 1990 national championship if he hadn't been injured.
Al Wilson: The driving force behind UT’s national championship team.
Eric Berry: He could have played six or seven different positions.
Jason Witten: One of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.
Jamal Lewis: He could have been Tennessee’s first Heisman Trophy winner if he hadn’t suffered an injury early in the 1998 season.
Alvin Kamara: Still starring in the pros after being underused at UT.
Travis Henry: A relentless runner who never gave up on a play.
Trey Smith: Overcame a health scare to achieve stardom at Tennessee and in the NFL.
Harry Galbreath: A dominant run blocker with the Vols and in the pros.
Carl Pickens: As good as he was at wide receiver, he could have been just as good in the secondary.
Keith DeLong: He made first-team All-American in 1988 despite playing on one of Tennessee’s worst teams.
Derek Barnett: Tennessee’s all-time sack leader was an immediate hit after starting the season opener as a true freshman.
Heath Shuler: One of UT’s most athletic quarterbacks, he was the SEC offensive player of the year in 1993. Imagine what he would have done in today’s spread offenses.
Cordarrelle Patterson: An all-pro kick returner, he played on a losing team in his only Tennessee season. His eye-popping stats: 16.7-yard average on 46 catches, 12.3 yards on 25 rushing attempts, and 28.0 yards on 12 kickoff returns.
Leonard Little: Only Barnett and Reggie White had more sacks at Tennessee than Little, who played defensive end, linebacker and was fast enough to have played in the secondary.
John Henderson: At 6-foot-7 and more than 300 pounds, the All-SEC defensive tackle was fast enough – and motivated enough – to chase a ball-carrier 40 yards downfield. I wish Tennessee had used him at tight end, too.
Albert Haynesworth: He could wreck an offense when he put his mind to it.
Scott Wells: He was Tennessee’s starting center for four seasons and started 135 games in the NFL.
Hendon Hooker: Coach Josh Heupel’s best quarterback carried the Vols to a No. 1 ranking and was in the Heisman discussion until a late-season injury.
Casey Clausen: A four-year starting quarterback, Clausen went 3-1 against Alabama and led the Vols to one of their greatest upsets (2001 against Florida in The Swamp).
Deon Grant: A first-team All-American safety, Grant starred on the national championship team and had nine interceptions in 1999. In 12 NFL seasons, he had 30 interceptions and recovered 10 fumbles.
Joshua Dobbs: He was a powerful, durable runner but the quarterback’s most memorable play was the Hail Mary to beat Georgia.
Dylan Sampson: He rushed for 1,485 yards and scored 22 touchdowns while becoming the SEC offensive player of the year in 2024.
Jauan Jennings: He caught the Hail Mary from Dobbs but has been better in the pros than in college.
Chad Clifton: A four-year starting offensive tackle at Tennessee, he later started 160 games for the Green Bay Packers.
Kelley Washington: He joined the Vols after four years in minor league baseball and became a freshman All-American wide receiver in 2001 when he had 64 catches, including 11 in a regular-season game against LSU.
Darnell Wright: A five-star recruit, Wright started in Tennessee’s offensive line as a freshman. He made second-team All-Pro at offensive tackle last season with the Chicago Bears.
Jeff Hall: A two-time All-SEC placekicker, Hall was at his best in the clutch during Tennessee’s national championship run.
Terry Fair: He was Tennessee’s starting cornerback for four seasons (1994-97) before an eight-year NFL career.
Antone Davis: How many SEC teams have had two first-round NFL draft picks at offensive tackle in the same season?
Charles McRae: Another first-round draft pick, he teamed with Davis to open gaping holes for Webb and Reggie Cobb.
Dustin Colquitt: A consensus All-American punter at Tennessee, he lasted 17 years in the NFL.
Joey Kent: Manning’s go-to-receiver, his touchdown catch highlighted a victory over Alabama that changed the course of the series.
Fred Weary: A three-time state championship wrestler in high school, Weary was a physical presence at both guard and center for the Vols. He started 48 games before injuries ended his NFL career.
Peerless Price: His ability to beat defenders deep was a major factor in Tennessee’s national championship.
Tee Martin: Replacing Manning at quarterback, Martin had the toughest act to follow in Tennessee history. But he led UT to an unbeaten season in his first year as a starter.
Cosey Coleman: A consensus first-team All-American guard, Coleman started on UT’s national championship team and Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl championship team.
Jalin Hyatt: Few players did as much damage to a Nick Saban defense as Hyatt, who caught six passes for 207 yards and five touchdowns in Tennessee’s 52-49 victory over Alabama in 2022.
Jerod Mayo: He made All-SEC at UT but was even better with the New England Patriots, where he led the NFL in tackles and made All-Pro in 2010.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: My 40 memorable Tennessee football players for 40 years on the job | Adams
