Tennessee football’s top five punters in history

Yes, Jimmy Colquitt is the greatest Colquitt and greatest punter in Tennessee football history. It’s ironic because he had the worst NFL career of the Colquitts, as Britton, Dustin and Craig were all regulars in the pros.

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However, in college, Jimmy Colquitt was the guy. He arrived on Rocky Top four years after his uncle, Craig, had played his final game in orange. By the time he was done, he had every record possible when it came to punting, although a few of those records have been broken in the years since then.

Anyway, Colquitt became a starter as a freshman and averaged 43.8 yards per punt, immediately becoming a star in 1981. He took it up a notch in 1982, averaging an insane 46.9 yards per punt, which was a school-record and propelled him to All-American status.

When 1983 arrived, Colquitt punted more for accuracy thanks to a better offense, but his 42 yards per punt average was still enough to earn him another All-American honor. As a result, he’s the only two-time punting All-American the Vols have ever had. As a senior, Colquitt upped his average again to 43.9 yards per punt.

At the end of his career, Colquitt had the Tennessee football yards per punt average record for a single game with 53, a single season with 46.9 and a career with 43.9. He still has the single game average, and as a four-year starter, he is the greatest punter in UT history, even if he did only play one year in the pros with the Seattle Seahawks.