Tennessee football’s top 10 injury replacements in school history

Obviously, Tennessee football’s 1985 season was legendary specifically because of the number of underdogs who stepped up that year. One of the forgotten underdogs was Bryan Kimbro, who took over at outside linebacker as a true freshman for an injured Tyrone Robinson. In new-defensive coordinator Ken Donahue’s scheme, he burst onto the scene.

Kimbro played in 11 games and racked up 32 total tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. He first went into the game and helped the Vols hold on for a 31-29 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. As he got better, the defense did too.

By the enad of the year, Kimbro had earned freshman All-American honors and was a huge part of that team surprising the world by going 9-1-2, winning the SEC Championship and shocking the No. 2 ranked Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl.

After that, Kimbro became a four-year starter, never losing his job the minute he took over the position, and he built on his success.  He finished his career with 126 total tackles, two sacks, one tackle for a loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass deflections.

Such versatility was a big deal at the time, and Kimbro was just one of many overachievers on that 1985 team. There is a reason it is one of the most beloved teams in school history since it’s nowhere near one of the most talented teams.