Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who never played in the NFL

Before Johnny Majors became head coach of the Tennessee football program, Larry Seivers was the guy to first establish the school’s reputation as Wide Receiver U. He was one of the last great players of the Bill Battle era, and if he didn’t have to labor through a downward slide, maybe he would have gone to the NFL.

Seivers was a two-time All-American in 1975 and 1976 and one of the few bright spots for a program on the decline. With 1,924 career receiving yards and eight career touchdowns, his production was incredible for that time period.

At the time he left the Vols, Seivers was far and away the greatest receiver in school history. We talk about Dewey Warren establishing the passing quarterback for the Vols. Well, Seivers established the concept of being an elite receiver.

Seivers’s production was enough for him to get drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. But then he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he never got to play a game for either team. That’s why we were able to put him on this list.

But even without his play in the NFL, he started a major point of pride and tradition at Tennessee with the Wide Receiver U title. Majors came after he left and built on that reputation for years. By the time Phillip Fulmer was in his prime, the name stuck. It all went back to Seivers. So that solidifies his greatness on Rocky Top, and it’s enough for him to make this list.