Tennessee football: 5 Vols 2018 seniors who had the best careers

One of the toughest players in Tennessee football history, it’s hard to argue what Shy Tuttle meant to the Vols throughout his career. Tuttle was a four-star member of that highly regarded 2015 recruiting class, but he was in five-star Kahlil McKenzie’s shadow there at defensive tackle.

Well, over three years later, it’s clear that Tuttle was the better college player of the two. But it wasn’t without struggle. As a freshman, Tuttle suffered a season-ending injury. He fought his way back only to suffer a second season-ending injury as a sophomore.

Still, Tuttle was able to come back again in 2017. Then, with McKenzie leaving for the NFL, Tuttle had to take on the role of nose tackle in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 scheme heading into 2018, the first time since his freshman year that he had an entire offseason to work on things.

In his new role, he has thrived. Tuttle hasn’t racked up the stats, but he’s been getting the push necessary to allow the Vols’ front seven to be effective. And he’s come through on specific plays. After all, the guy has two and a half tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception, and a field goal block. So while his career has been tumultuous, it’s beyond admirable. And it was obvious we would put him on this list.