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Tennessee football: Vols top 30 players since 1998 national championship

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 12: Eric Berry #14 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on against the UCLA Bruins on September 12, 2009 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. UCLA beat Tennessee 19-15. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 12: Eric Berry #14 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on against the UCLA Bruins on September 12, 2009 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. UCLA beat Tennessee 19-15. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /
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It’s been 20 seasons since Tennessee football won an SEC or national championship. Here are the 30 greatest Volunteers since that magical year of 1998.

Tennessee football has gone through 20 years, five head coaches, the worst season and the worst losing streak to a program in school history since its last SEC or national championship. When Phillip Fulmer held up the trophy on Jan. 4, 1999, there was no way of knowing how bad things would get.

It was a slow burn that started with the first non-10 win season in five years in 1999, the first non-Top 10 finish in six years in 2000, the first non-Top 25 finish in 14 years in 2002 and the first losing season in 17 years in 2005. Things progressively got worse until this decade.

However, we don’t need to dwell on how bad things have gotten. Tennessee football fans read enough about that all the time. Even through this slow decline, some of the greatest players in school history have set foot on Rocky Top.

In this post, we’re going to rank the 30 greatest Vols who have played for the team since that 1998 national title. Now, to be clear, players who fit these criteria can’t have played at all for the team in 1998.

This ranking includes anybody whose first year on Rocky Top was in 1999 or later. We also aren’t taking into account the pro careers of these guys. This is a specific look at the greatest college careers of Vols since that national title.

Sometimes, players were great enough in one year to make the list. Other times, their longevity and consistency over four years was enough to put them on the list. Many of them played most of their career through the dark days of Rocky Top. But they all were big contributors for the program at some point.

So which of these players stand out above all others? Who makes the list of the top performers throughout this 20-year decline? Let’s break it down here. These are the 30 greatest Tennessee football stars who have graced Rocky Top since the Vols won their 1998 national championship.

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