Tennessee football: Top 10 rushing leaders in Vols history

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ATLANTA – DECEMBER 31: Tailback Cedric Houston #21 of the University of Tennessee Volunteers carries the ball against the University of Maryland Terrapins during the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia. Maryland won 30-3. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
ATLANTA – DECEMBER 31: Tailback Cedric Houston #21 of the University of Tennessee Volunteers carries the ball against the University of Maryland Terrapins during the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia. Maryland won 30-3. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Tennessee football career rushing leader No. 7: Cedric Houston (2001-04)

  • 2,634 rushing yards
  • 17 rushing touchdowns
  • 5.3 yards per rush

A few seasons removed from Tennessee’s national title, Phil Fulmer still had the Vols humming along in the SEC. During Hosuton’s four-year career in Knoxville, the Vols went 39-13 with three double-digit win seasons.

Houston was a big reason for that sustained success. He surpassed 700 rushing yards in each of his final three seasons with a 1,005-yard season in his final year. Houston was also hyper-efficient, never averaging under five yards a carry for a season.

Houston was a sixth-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft and spent two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets.