Tennessee football: Vols top 30 players since 1998 national championship

Before Rico McCoy stepped into the starting lineup, there was Omar Gaither. One of the top producers for Tennessee football over a four-year period from 2002 to 2005, Gaither was one of the rare non-busts of that top-five recruiting class in 2002.

That year, he was behind Eddie Moore, Robert Peace and Keyon Whiteside. So he didn’t see the field as much, despite the injury bug that bit the program. In 2003, Peace was joined by the return to health of Kevin Burnett and Kevin Simon. So again, Gaither had to wait his turn. But in 2004, that turn came.

Peace graduated in 2004 and Gaither stepped in. He immediately became one of the Vols’ best players on defense. The future NFL starter was a key part of that team going 10-3 and winning the SEC East, despite having to start three different quarterbacks on the year, including two true freshmen.

Gaither was a key part of that, doing a little bit of everything. He was third on the team and second among linebackers with 92 total tackles, 72 of which were solo. Gaither also had an amazing 12 and a half tackles for a loss, two sacks, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Even in coverage, Gaither showed what he could do with four pass breakups and two interceptions.

In 2005, Gaither was again an elite player. He joined an elite defense that was completely wasted because of one of the worst offensive years ever. But Gaither himself was great with 78 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, four sacks, a pass breakup and four forced fumbles. The guy started only two years and still finished his career with over 200 tackles.

Overall, Gaither’s play was enough to earn him All-SEC honors both years he started. He was a major playmaker for Tennessee football while on the field. His accomplishments were more than enough to put him on this list.