Honorable Mentions
Derek Barnett
Defensive Lineman; Philadelphia Eagles
He recovered the fumble to win the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles two seasons ago and is Tennessee football’s all-time sacks leader. Derek Barnett is a future superstar. However, he is coming back from an injury this year, so it will likely take him some time to get back in rhythm. By next year, we expect him to be back on the top two of this list.
Eric Berry
Safety; Free Agent
After being released by the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Berry has not signed with anybody. Sure, he has an injury past, but every season he’s played fully healthy, he’s made All-Pro. Our guess is he’s waiting for a team to give him a big contract, and when none arises, he’ll settle for less to make an NFL roster. But with his career in limbo, he has to be honorable mention.
Morgan Cox
Long-Snapper; Baltimore Ravens
There’s a reason the Baltimore Ravens have not let Morgan Cox go since 2010. The two-time Pro Bowler as a long-snapper was a big special teams advantage in helping them win the Super Bowl, and he is a big part of Justin Tucker’s success as a kicker. If he was something beyond a long-snapper, he’d easily be on the list. Nobody from UT does their job in the pros better than him.
Trevor Daniel
Punter; Houston Texans
Trevor Daniel had numbers comparable to all the punters on the list his first year, and he may continue Tennessee football’s tradition as Punter U, averaging 43.7 yards a punt, 39.1 Net yards, and pinning 48.65 percent of his punts inside the 20. However, those averages could come up, and he has only shown it for one year so far. That’s why he’s honorable mention for now.
Jason Witten
Tight End; Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten joins Eric Berry as the only two surefire Hall-of-Famers we have named in this post. However, while Berry is a free agent, Witten is coming off a year of retirement. So we have no idea what to expect from him. He’ll likely be extremely reliable, and he’s a great leader, but questions about that year away from football make him an honorable mention.