Tennessee Football All-Time Team: Historical Vols Depth Chart

Apr 12, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view Neyland Stadium during the Tennessee Volunteers orange and white spring game. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Guard No. 1

1. Cosey Coleman

Another member of the national championship team in 1998 who left after the 1999 season, Cosey Coleman was an elite offensive guard for the Vols and is definitely the best guard in Tennessee football history. He beats out a deep group of elite Vols at this position as well, who have been achieving All-American honors since the 1930s.

But Coleman was something special. He joined Chad Clifton in keeping Tennessee’s running game elite and making life easier on Peyton Manning and especially Tee Martin.

Coleman is one of those rare players, just like Clifton, to win a national title and then go on to win a Super Bowl. After his All-American career, he played in the NFL for seven years and started in 92 games, winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He is just one of many players from that era to go on to a long and successful NFL career. But he is the best of the best among Tennessee guards ever.

2. Bob Suffridge

If we are talking about talent and NFL success, Cosey Coleman is the best guard in Tennessee football history. If we are talking about production in college, then Bob Suffridge might just be the greatest player in Tennessee football history.

Suffridge is the only three-time All-American in Tennessee Vols history, winning the award in 1938, 1939, and 1940. He was the integral part in the greatest run in Tennessee football history.

Given that fact, there was no way in the world we could leave him off of this list. Suffridge played two years in the NFL, in 1941 and 1945, for the Philadelphia Eagles. But like many players of that time, his career was shortened due to serving in World War II.

So we can’t hold the limited career against him. He’s still one of the greatest guards in school history.

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Next: Offensive Guard #2