Tennessee football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols performers at Vanderbilt

He’s been the most consistent player for Tennessee football all season long, and in his final game, Kyle Phillips still did what he could to deliver a victory for the Vols. Once a five-star recruit, Phillips was one of many players to see a resurgence in his career under Jeremy Pruitt’s system.

Throughout the season, he’s been putting up huge numbers. That wasn’t the case on Saturday against Vandy. This time, he made his presence felt by getting pressure and bouncing off blockers. Although Phillips wasn’t able to rack up stats, he still was a force thanks to those factors.

For the game, Phillips had a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. And he finished with five tackles overall. Again, these aren’t jaw-dropping numbers. But he appeared to be getting a push every time he was in the game.

Without him at defensive end in Pruitt’s 3-4 system next year, the Vols are going to have a lot of work to do. He was one of their biggest stars, and although he had no help from linebackers or defensive backs against Vanderbilt’s offense, he fought as hard as he could. So it’s only fitting that we put him on this list one final time.