Throughout Phillip Fulmer’s final years on Rocky Top, one of the most consistent performers who flew under the radar the whole time was offensive guard Anthony Parker. A three-star commitment to the 2004 recruiting class, Parker was one of the great developmental stories for Tennessee football.
After redshirting in 2004, Parker appeared in six games and even started a game in 2005. He showed his versatility by lining up at center sometimes to help out the team as much as possible through its worst season in 17 years to that point.
A year later, though, David Cutcliffe returned. And Parker then became a three-year starter for the Vols at that point. He struggled in his first year when it came to run blocking. That was notable for the team overall.
But by 2007, Parker became maybe the best guard on the team. He made First-Team All-SEC and was the leader of a unit that only allowed four sacks through 14 games all season. That’s the most games Tennessee football has ever played in a season and the lowest number of sacks it’s ever allowed. It was also the fewest number of sacks allowed that year for a team, with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights coming in second by allowing 10 sacks, over twice as many.
Parker was also the main blocker for a rushing attack that allowed Arian Foster to generate nearly 1,200 yards. Simply put, he was a superstar offensive lineman for that team and maybe the biggest reason they won the SEC East. In fact, that’s up there with the greatest individual offensive line performances in a single season in UT history.
The next year, Parker had some turmoil. It wasn’t just the 5-7 season and the Dave Clawson disaster that got Phillip Fulmer fired either. Parker had a disorderly conduct arrest in early 2008 that served as a distraction. Nonetheless, through a horrible season, he still managed to reach Second-Team All-SEC.
So as a three-year starter, a two-time All-SEC performer and the key member of arguably the greatest offensive line unit in school history, how could Parker not be on this list? His play was beyond elite.