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Tennessee football: Ranking all 10 Vols head coaches’ second NFL Draft classes

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

8. 1943

John Barnhill

Number of NFL Draft picks: 1

  • Al Hust, E (Arizona Cardinals: Round 4, Pick 29)

Now we get to players actually taken. Tennessee football’s 1943 season was about to be canceled due to World War II, and John Barnhill had shown an ability to continue the success of the Vols the two years prior, following Robert Neyland. He certainly did a better job following Neyland’s second stint than W.H. Britton did following Neyland’s first stint.

After an unprecedented run from 1938 to 1940, Barnhill still got them to go 8-2 and 9-1-1 in the next two years, finishing No. 18 and No. 7 respectively and winning the Sugar Bowl to close out the 1942 season. However, only five total players were taken during that time, and four of them were in the 1942 draft class.

Al Hust was the only player taken in 1943, and there is no record of his NFL career. So there was really no success from this draft class, but let’s be clear why. As we noted, the 1943 season was canceled due to World War II. Many would-be UT players and coaches were fighting overseas, and that limited the supply of talent.

Well, the same would naturally be true for the draft. Obviously, in the middle of a war, there were very few players to choose from, and if numerous Vols were overseas, it would also apply to them. This is probably a huge reason for nobody being taken, and it showed as the Vols continued their success under Barnhill even after the war.

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