He’s not the greatest Colquitt in the NFL, but he’s likely the greatest Colquitt for Tennessee football. Jimmy Colquitt followed Craig Colquitt, who only played one year under Johnny Majors. While Fuad Reveiz became arguably the greatest kicker in UT history during this time, Jimmy Colquitt became clearly the greatest punter in UT history at the time.
Over a four-year period, Colquitt averaged 43.9 yards per punt. That included 43.8 yards per punt in 1981 and an insane 46.9 yards per punt in 1982. In 1983, his average dipped to 42 yards per punt, but he then jumped back up to 43.1 yards per punt as a senior, punting for a total of 8,816 career yards on 201 career punts. Simply put, the guy was a star.
In addition to his incredible stats, Colquitt was a two-time All-American for Rocky Top in 1982 and 1983. Although the Vols were establishing a tradition as Wide Receiver U under Majors, Colquitt following his uncle helped the program begin to establish themselves as Punter U, and that continued into the 2000s with Dustin and Britton Colquitt.
Simply put, Majors made the Vols recognizable for churning out elite talent at two separate positions. It’s rare for a punter to be so high up on any list of greatest players, but Colquitt was a special case. That he only played one year in the NFL in 1985, for the Seattle Seahawks, is irrelevant. His college production was insane. As a result, he belongs up here on this list.