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Tennessee football players in Super Bowl both fit Vols NFL narrative

By Caleb Calhoun

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Emmanuel Moseley #41 of the San Francisco 49ers goes through a drill during practice for Super Bowl LIV at the Greentree Practice Fields on the campus of the University of Miami on January 31, 2020 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Emmanuel Moseley #41 of the San Francisco 49ers goes through a drill during practice for Super Bowl LIV at the Greentree Practice Fields on the campus of the University of Miami on January 31, 2020 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Former Volunteers Emmanuel Moseley of the San Francisco 49ers and Dustin Colquitt of the Kansas City Chiefs fit Tennessee football’s pro narrative.

Two things have defined Tennessee football ever since Phillip Fulmer was fired and the program fell off the map. Both of them fit the narrative of the former Vols players competing in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The first dates back to what Fulmer built, which is a program of elite punters that earned the school the title of Punter U. However, since Fulmer’s firing, players dating to his last year on Rocky Top have created a tradition of being undrafted stars in the pros.

Emmanuel Moseley and Dustin Colquitt both fit one of those profiles for Tennessee football. And one of them will continue the tradition of former Vols walking away with a championship, something that dates back to 2009.

Colquitt, who played in Knoxville from 2001 to 2004, is a 15-year punter in the NFL. He has been a star for the Kansas City Chiefs. Four years after his younger brother, Britton Colquitt, won a Super Bowl along with Peyton Manning and Malik Jackson, he’s got the chance to build on the family legacy that started with his father and uncle decades earlier.

A big reason the Vols are known as Punter U is due to the Colquitt family, even though David Leaverton, Matt Darr, Michael Palardy and Trevor Daniel have all held starting jobs as punters from UT in the pros as well this century. Still, Colquitt winning a Super Bowl as the starting punter for the Chiefs would add to the Vol legacy of Punter U and elite Colquitts.

On the other side, Moseley, who played in Knoxville from 2014 to 2017, has become a breakout star at cornerback for the 49ers. He was undrafted in 2018 and signed with the team. Early on this year, injuries forced him into the lineup to start alongside Richard Sherman.

After Ahkello Witherspoon struggled in the divisional round against the Minnesota Vikings, Moseley came in and shut down Stefon Diggs. He’s been the starter ever since. So Moseley, who will be starting in the Super Bowl, fulfills the tradition of undrated Vols shining in the pros, one built by Arian Foster, Ramon Foster, Justin Coleman and even Shy Tuttle this year.

Most Vol fans would probably be happier to see Colquitt winning the title because of how long he has been in the pros. However, seeing either player win the championship would be great for the brand Tennessee football has built this decade.

Of course, part of Moseley’s brand stems from failures by the program on the field, and that’s why so many players were overlooked in the NFL Draft. However, it does send the message that even during down years, franchises can’t overlook former players in the program.

Meanwhile, Colquitt on the other hand is part of a tradition that the Vols want to keep into this decade. The only drawback of Punter U is that the Vols have lost the title of Wide Receiver U in the process, but those two aren’t connected.

What is true, though, is both players could end up being key in Sunday’s game. Moseley came away with an interception in the NFC Title game against the Green Bay Packers, and Colquitt has a longstanding tradition of delivering great field position for the Chiefs’ defense. So both players figure to stand out.

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