Tennessee football: Vols top 30 players since 1998 national championship

One of the most versatile linebackers Tennessee football ever had, it’s crazy to think that Jerod Mayo didn’t start in 2005. That shows you how deep the Vols were on defense that year, despite not making it to a bowl game.

Mayo immediately became a starter at outside linebacker as a sophomore, though, joining Ryan Karl with Marvin Mitchell in the middle. He was part of a crew that had to replace all three starters from the year before. He helped his team turn things around to get to 9-4 in the process.

That year, Mayo dominated with 83 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks. He was a ridiculous playmaker and too much for almost any team in the SEC to be able to handle. As a pass-rusher, he was beyond scary.

A huge part of his greatness, however, was what he did the next year. In a move that would have seemed to hurt his draft stock, Mayo willingly moved to middle linebacker to help the team because of the lack of depth there with Mitchell’s departure. Instead of letting it hurt his stock, though, he exploded again.

Sure, Mayo had fewer tackles for a loss and sacks with just eight and a half and one and a half, respectively. But he was all over the field with an SEC-leading 140 tackles. He even got a pick-six that year.

Throughout 2007, Mayo was the best player on the Vols’ defense, and they don’t win the SEC East without him. He was a superstar who should have been an All-American. Mayo did everything he could to deliver an SEC Championship in the game against the LSU Tigers. After his play in college, he left early for the NFL. It was no surprise he became a star for the New England Patriots.