Tennessee football: Top 10 former Vols in the NFL for 2019

Back to another punter, we bring up Michael Palardy. Here’s a guy from the Derek Dooley and Butch Jones era, and he has only recently gotten settled in as a starter. This will be his third full year starting with the Carolina Panthers, adding to the legacy of elite Tennessee football punters in the pros.

Palardy was known for his big leg in college, and he is now showing that at the next level. In 2018, just his second year as the full-time starting punter, he averaged 45.2 yards a punt, 41 net yards, and pinned 39.34 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. For his career, he is averaging 45 yards a punt and 42 net yards.

By the way, unlike some of the punters on the list who have turned the Vols into Punter U, Palardy may not have even entered his prime yet. His giant leg now matching his settled mentality knowing he is the full-time starter can only serve to turn him into an elite player. Not bad for a guy who was in the Canadian Football League in 2015 with the Toronto Argonauts.

Before this stint with Carolina, he was with them once before, along with the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. That was all between 2014 and 2016 and surrounding his CFL stint. SO being settled now is a huge deal.