Tennessee football senior Evan Berry‘s career with the Volunteers is over. He finishes as the best kick returner in school history.
A member of an elite Tennessee football legacy class in 2014, Evan Berry arrived on campus in the shadows of his family. His father, James Berry, was a player for the Vols, and his brother, Eric Berry, became one of the best players in school history and is currently a superstar in the NFL.
He also arrived with another brother, Elliott Berry. So it’d be hard to see the guy carving out a legacy of his own.
But that’s just what he did.
Unfortunately, Berry’s career in Knoxville was cut short. He missed the end of last season due to an ACL injury, part of this season, and will now miss the rest of this season after suffering an upper-body injury against Southern Miss.
The series of injuries, though, did not hamper the legacy he left. Berry is no doubt the best return specialist in Tennessee football history. And there’s not really a close second.
Every time there was a kickoff with him back there, you just knew the Vols were going to have great field position to start their offense.
Butch Jones immediately stuck Berry on special teams, before he ever saw action as a defensive back, in 2014. That year, Berry received freshman All-American status with his returning abilities.
But he broke out as a sophomore. In 2015, Berry returned a remarkable three kickoffs for touchdowns and also returned an interception for a touchdown in the Outback Bowl. Simply put, he was deadly and elusive with the ball in his hands.
His efforts earned him first-team All-American status across the board, allowing him to share an honor with his older brother Eric, the legend in Knoxville.
However, Berry wasn’t done.
He did miss the final four games of 2016. But before that, he managed to return another kickoff for a touchdown. And he also set up Tennessee football’s game-winning Hail Mary against the Georgia Bulldogs with a very impressive return.
That was enough to earn him All-SEC honors despite his season-ending injury.
Going into this year, Berry figured to break out. And his impact was huge against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets with two returns for 86 yards. It was enough that Paul Johnson decided to kick it short and away from Berry, often giving the Vols good field position.
After that, though, he was never the same due to injuries.
Overall, though, Berry leaves behind a legacy of great entertainment in Knoxville. And while his college career is over, you have to think he’ll have a shot at the NFL with these skills. If he can stay healthy, it’ll likely be a legitimate shot too. That will be another way he can rival Eric Berry as a Tennessee football legend.