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Tennessee football: Team awards for 2021 season

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11 /

Despite a disappointing finish, Tennessee football pleasantly surprised its fan base Josh Heupel’s first year on the job. They overcame a wave of transfers, an NCAA investigation and a coaching change to go 7-6 after suffering a 3-7 season Jeremy Pruitt’s final year on the job. All of this bodes well for the future.

In the process, lots of new faces emerged as stars for the Vols. That was naturally going to happen given all the transfers. As we get set to hand out out awards for the season, it will be pretty clear that those new faces stood out often more than anybody else.

Our awards will include the rookie of the year, the most improved player and then the best player for each unit. One of those best players per unit will also be this year’s Most Valuable Player, and we’ll name him last. Let’s take a look at who was most valuable for Rocky Top. These are our team awards for Tennessee football’s 2021 season.

Rookie of the Year: Jaylen Wright

Honestly, this is somewhat by default. There was no competition. Despite all the turnover the Vols faced this year, they didn’t play that many freshmen. Jaylen Wright saw more action than any other true freshman or redshirt freshman this past year, and honestly, it was by a long shot.

Early in the year, Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans were the star backs. However, Wright emerged late as Evans battled injuries. He finished the year with 85 carries for 409 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and four touchdowns while catching six passes for 22 yards. As November hit, both Wright and Len’Neth Whitehead backed up Small, but Wright stood out.

A speedster in college, Tennessee football signed Wright to be a true all-purpose back, and he showed flashes of what he could be this past year with the way he played. Next year, you could see a true three-back set in Josh Heupel’s system with Small as the feature back, Whitehead as the power back and Wright as the speedy all-purpose back.

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