Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols kick returners in school history

Nearly 20 years after Terry Fair’s days in Knoxville, Cameron Sutton came along. And he built a legacy in his own right as an elite defensive back and kick returner for Tennessee football, becoming a fan favorite during his four years on Rocky Top.

Sutton was part of that 2013 class that massively overachieved, which extended Butch Jones’s career with the Vols beyond what it should have been. With seven career interceptions and 30 passes defended, Sutton was a proven lockdown defensive back. He could cover large parts of the field.

But in one of the few right moves he made, Jones knew enough to use Sutton on special teams as much as possible as well. And that’s exactly what he did. It also allowed for Sutton to thrive beyond what anybody expected.

As a returner his final three years, Sutton field four kickoffs for 86 yards, averaging 21.5 yards a kickoff return. Then comes the really impressive part. He fielded 46 punts for an amazing 657 yards and three touchdowns.

In case you’re wondering, yes. That’s an average of 14.3 yards a punt return, which is even better than Fair’s average. On top of that, he had one more touchdown. And this all came despite an injury that limited him for much of the 2016 season.

With these numbers, Sutton was able to achieve All-American honors in 2015 thanks to his special teams play. He was just that remarkable. And it’s also why he was able to find an NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.