Tennessee football: Vols top 30 players since 1998 national championship

Another member of that elite 2005 Tennessee football defense that had no help from its offense, Parys Haralson was one of the top producers for the Vols throughout his career on Rocky Top. A four-star commitment from Mississippi in 2002, Haralson lived up to his billing and then some.

As a freshman, Haralson helped the Vols navigate through their injury-riddled 2002 season and appeared in all 13 games. He racked up 25 tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a hurry during that season.

However the next season, the Vols had to replace their entire front four for the second straight year. And as one of the replacements, Haralson joined a cast that was significantly better than the year before.

Immediately, Haralson burst onto the scene with 44 tackles, but most notably he had 14 and a half tackles for a loss, four and a half sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and pass deflection. He started opposite Constantin Ritzman to help the defense wreak havoc up front en route to a 10-2 record and share of the SEC East crown.

The next year, Haralson only got better with 43 tackles and 13 and a half tackles for a loss, but this time with seven sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and 21 quarterback hurries. That year, he was the only returning starter on the front four and still was a critical piece to helping them win the East outright.

In 2005, Haralson was part of that elite defense we keep bringing up that was completely wasted. But while the defense was wasted, he had by far his best season with 45 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and eight and a half sacks to go along with three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection.

Haralson’s play was more than enough to earn back to back All-SEC selections and a future NFL career. He was an elite player for the Vols his entire time on Rocky Top and played a key role in them winning back to back East championships.