Vols begin all-star play this weekend

 
The season’s first two collegiate all-star games involving Tennessee representatives take place this weekend in Orlando, Fla., and Tempe, Ariz.
 
Defensive end Chris Walker is one of nine SEC players at the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl. Kickoff is 4 p.m. Eastern time (NFL Network) for the nation’s longest-running college postseason all-star game.  Coaches for the game, benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children, are Dan Reeves and Wade Phillips.
 
Sunday, punter Chad Cunningham is one of nine more SEC players participating in the inaugural Eastham Energy College All-Star Game in Tempe. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. Mountain time (Fox Sports Net).
 
Walker finished his Vols career with 18 consecutive starts, second-most on the team. The Memphis native was one of 10 UT players to start every game this season and one of just four to see action in every quarter of play. He led the Vols with six quarterback hurries and tied for second on the defensive line with 45 tackles.
 
Cunningham punted 66 times for a career-best 42.3-yard average. Seventeen of those punts were downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line against only nine touchbacks, and he had 11 punts of 50 yards or longer. Cunningham finished eighth on Tennessee’s all-time punting chart with a 41.7-yard average.
 
Two more Vols also are preparing for upcoming all-star action.
 
Luke Stocker is playing in the Jan. 29 Under Armour Senior Bowl, one of 22 SEC athletes slated for the Mobile, Ala., showcase. Stocker was the only Vol with a reception in every game this season, including 11 contests with multiple catches. He finished his UT career in sparkling fashion, tying a career best with five catches for a season-high 58 yards in the Music City Bowl. For the 2010 season, Stocker caught 39 passes for 417 yards to finish third on the team in both categories.
 
And Feb. 5, Denarius Moore returns to his home state as part of the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge in San Antonio. Moore, a native of Tatum, became just the seventh Vols receiver to eclipse 2,000 career yards (2,004) after posting the seventh-best season total (981) in school history. He was the only 2010 player in major college football with a pair of 200-yard receiving games and the first UT wideout with two in either a season or career.