Tennessee hasn’t exactly been tearing it up on the field the past few years, but it’s still well represented in the National Football League. According the college football analyst Bruce Feldman, the Vols have 28 players currently on NFL rosters, which is good for 10th-best, alongside Notre Dame. Five Southeastern Conference schools are represented in the top 10.
Here’s the full list:
LSU: 38
USC: 37
Alabama: 36
Georgia: 34
Florida: 33
Florida State: 33
Miami: 31
California: 29
Ohio State: 29
Tennessee: 28
Notre Dame: 28
Feldman also noted that the Vols have more guards (5) on NFL opening day rosters than any other program.
6 responses to “Even with recent struggles, Vols rank 10th on NFL rosters”
OG U!!
Ha. I like it. You might be on to something.
Anyone notice last nights game…. Malik Jackson wearing out Zach Fulton. Fulton had 2 holding penalties and a couple false starts. Malik was a freak…
First off, this shows how bad we have been coached since about 2002. If we have had top 10 talent we should be in the hunt for SEC east titles at minimum. The SEC is tough but we have more pros than Auburn or the Gamecocks. And those schools have outperformed us by every conceivable standard.
Secondly, it shows that even when are down we can still recruit. (Note to those who think Tennessee is a tough place to recruit from.)
Third, where is Texas? I thought the knock on Mack Brown was that he could recruit but not coach. Maybe his talent wasn’t all that and a bag of chips after all. Kind of makes you wonder if the high school talent coming out of Texas isn’t slightly overrated.
Currently there are 35 Tennesseans on Active NFL Rosters, 6 on Practice Squads and 2 on Injured Reserve. Of these 43 kids who attended high school in Tennessee, 11 were Vols when drafted, 2 are former Vols who transferred to other programs. Only 25.6% of the current NFL players from the Volunteer State were drafted as Vols. This number used to be 55% to 60%. I think CBJ will change this number, it will be interesting to look at the number in 5 to 7 years and see how much impact the new staff has on this number.
Active Players
Randall Cobb Alcoa Packers
Jacques McClendon Baylor School Jaguars
Britton Colquitt Bearden Broncos
Dustin Colquitt Bearden Chiefs
Ryan Carrethers (R) Brentwood Acad. Chargers
King Dunlap Brentwood Acad. Chargers
Scott Wells Brentwood Acad. Rams
Greg Hardy Briarcrest Christian Panthers
Michael Oher Briarcrest Christian Titans
Patrick Willis Bruceton Central 49ers
Daniel Kilgore Dobyns-Bennett 49ers
Coty Sensabaugh Dobyns-Bennett Titans
Jason Witten Elizabethton Cowboys
Orleans Darkwa (R) Ensworth Dolphins
Morgan Cox Evangelical Christian Ravens
Barrett Jones Evangelical Christian Rams
Tyson Clabo Farragut Texans
Benny Cunningham Goodpasture Christian Rams
Marlon Brown Harding Academy Ravens
Harrison Smith Knoxville Catholic Vikings
Quinton Patton LaVergne 49ers
James Stone (R) Maplewood Falcons
Dont’a Hightower Marshall County Patriots
Dan Williams Memphis East Cardinals
Cassius Vaughn Memphis East Lions
Avery Williamson (R) Milan Titans
Wesley Johnson (R) Montgomery Bell Acad. Steelers
Sammy Seamster (R) Ooltewah Dolphins
Golden Tate Pope John Paul II Lions
Lee Smith Powell Bills
Ramon Foster Ripley Steelers
Carson Tinker Riverdale Jaguars
Jerome Felton Sequoyah Vikings
Montori Hughes Siegel Colts
Dontari Poe Wooddale Chiefs
Practice Squad
Jonathan Brown (R) Christian Brothers Cardinals
Ricky Lumpkin Kenwood Raiders
Jacques Smith (R) Ooltewah Falcons
Tim Benford Red Bank Cowboys
Josh Walker (R) Rhea County Colts
Kevin McDermott Ensworth Broncos
Injured Reserve
Antonio Richardson (R) Pearl-Cohn Vikings
Lonnie Ballentine (R) Southwind Texans
Great post Biglon92. Thanks for sharing.