Tennessee is #2 for Linebacker-U

#51
#51
Don't forget Keith DeLong, who played on an awful 1988 defense but led the Vols in tackles with a mind-boggling total of 159 in 11 games. Despite the Vols 5-6 record, DeLong "earned All-America status and was a finalist for the Butkus Award given annually to the nation's best collegiate linebacker.

Against Alabama, he earned SEC Player of the Week, collecting 19 tackles, four assists, a pass deflection and an interception in what was [then] dubbed the second-best single-game performance in Tennessee history" (UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics - Football). It is this longstanding history of excellence at the linebacker position that leads me to conclude that limiting data to the last 15 years does a real disservice to our tradition at the position.
 
#52
#52
Volosaurus rex said:
Don't forget Keith DeLong, who played on an awful 1988 defense but led the Vols in tackles with a mind-boggling total of 159 in 11 games. Despite the Vols 5-6 record, DeLong "earned All-America status and was a finalist for the Butkus Award given annually to the nation's best collegiate linebacker.

Against Alabama, he earned SEC Player of the Week, collecting 19 tackles, four assists, a pass deflection and an interception in what was [then] dubbed the second-best single-game performance in Tennessee history" (UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics - Football). It is this longstanding history of excellence at the linebacker position that leads me to conclude that limiting data to the last 15 years does a real disservice to our tradition at the position.
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You're right. His dad Steve was an Outland Trophy winner at UT. Great UT family!
 
#55
#55
Just out of curiosity, I decided to compare just how many All-American linebackers Miami has had, since they are rated No. 1 in this list. Whereas we have a total of 11, they have only 7. Excerpted from their website ( Hurricanes Football: All-Americans (1950-79) - University of Miami Hurricanes Official Athletic Site), they are as follows: Harold Sears (1971), Jay Brophy (1983), Maurice Crum (1990), Darrin Smith (1991, 1992), Michael Barrow (1992), Ray Lewis (1995), and Dan Morgan (2000).

Granted, we have never had any Tennessee linebacker achieve quite the level of success that Ray Lewis enjoyed in the NFL, but those totals in my mind give us a better claim to “Linebacker U” than “the U.”
 
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#56
#56
Volosaurus rex said:
Just out of curiosity, I decided to compare just how many All-American linebackers Miami has had, since they are rated No. 1 in this list. Whereas we have a total of 11, they have only 7. Excerpted from their website ( Hurricanes Football: All-Americans (1950-79) - University of Miami Hurricanes Official Athletic Site), they are as follows: Harold Sears (1971), Jay Brophy (1983), Maurice Crum (1990), Darrin Smith (1991, 1992), Michael Barrow (1992), Ray Lewis (1995), and Dan Morgan (2000).

Granted, we have never had any Tennessee linebacker achieve quite the level of success that Ray Lewis enjoyed in the NFL, but those totals in my mind give us a better claim to “Linebacker U” than “the U.”
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Nice work, rex.

I think the "U's" success is more recent in overall terms. I thought George Mira, Jr. was an AA, but I guess I was wrong.

If you look at Penn State you'd see similar results to UT. Both were very strong at LB in 60's-80's.
 
#57
#57
It is. Miami came of age at about the same time as Florida, so they don't have the historical depth of achievement. Of course, when they have been good, they have been very, very good. I don't know how we would compare in All-American linebackers with Penn State or Alabama, but I do believe that this data further underscores the methodological flaws upon which these rankings are based. I don't know about anyone else, but when I think of "Wide Receiver U" or "Linebacker U," I don't think in terms of the last 15 years but rather all-time. Even taking these data into consideration, we have the same number of All-American linebackers since 2000 as Miami, exactly one. Miami's heyday at the position was the 1990's; ours was the mid 1960s-early 1970s and the second half of the 1990s.
 
#58
#58
Anybody remember Andy Spiva? Man, I'm still ticked we passed on Patrick Willis!
 
#59
#59
Boca Vol said:
There was Reggie and Raleigh.

How I remember this stuff, but yet I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning. :crazy:
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Reggie was a OG, and Raleigh was a LB. Reggie was on the Buffalo OL the year OJ ran for 2,004 yards.
 
#60
#60
VolFan4Life87 said:
When was the last time UT had some stud LB's?
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Jerod Mayo, his senior season he registered 140 tackles the most by any Tennessee defender since Earnest Fields. Earned first team All SEC honors and Second Team All American honors. Was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
 
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#62
#62
Miami can also wear the crown for producing the best LB to play in the NFL during the modern age. Ray Lewis might be controversial but his career is pretty much inarguable.

Beason and Vilma are also 2 of the best in the game.
 
#64
#64
Volosaurus rex said:
Personally, I don't care for their narrow time-line and their exclusive reliance upon data pertaining to draft position status. Relying upon an earlier and even narrower timeline, and emphasizing college play instead of NFL draft position, I could make an even stronger case for Tennessee as Linebacker U. Consider the following data pertaining to a period when we were practically turning out an All-American every year at the position:

Frank Emanuel, linebacker (1965)...

Paul Naumoff, linebacker (1966)...

Steve Kiner, linebacker (1968, 1969)...

"Hacksaw" Jack Reynolds, linebacker (1969)...

Jackie Walker, linebacker (1970, 1971). [/url]

Jamie Rotella (1972)...
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Volosaurus rex said:
Don't forget Keith DeLong...
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Good post, rex, I'll add:

Tracy Hayworth
Ben Talley
Alvin Toles
Carl Zander
Danny Spradlin
Craig Puki
Andy Spiva
Ron McCartney
 
#66
#66
Boca Vol said:
There was Reggie and Raleigh.

How I remember this stuff, but yet I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning. :crazy:
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yep, just don't remember which played which position. i know they hammered us in intramural softball.
 
#67
#67
I'll take it. We have had some really good defensive players the past 15 years. Those taking jabs at PSU should not call us WRU. The past 15 years Miami is probably WRU as well.
 
#68
#68
We definitely put some stud LBs into the NFL the past two decades and especially before then, but we haven't picked up any 1st round studs when we had Dooley. AJ will definitely be good this year and I hope that he will be a 1st rounder, but I haven't seen any 1st round potential from him
 
#69
#69
QVOL81 said:
Reveiz was a hell of a linebacker in college. The one's we have now could be special as well.
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he was a decent LB on some sorry teams. he wouldnt have started for many other D1s schools nor at UT normally. May have contributed but definitely not a starter
 
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