Tennessee has had some incredible quarterbacks come through Knoxville over the years. When you think of the words “Tennessee” and “quarterback,” there’s probably 1 name that immediately pops into your mind.
And we’ll get to him in a bit.
But the Vols have had numerous elite signal-callers over the decades. Phillip Fulmer oversaw many of them. Current coach Josh Heupel already has some impressive QBs on his Tennessee résumé.
With Thursday being Tennessee Takeover Day on the SEC Network, we thought this would be a great time to look back at some of the best quarterbacks in Tennessee football history.
Here’s a look back at all the QB Mount Rushmore pieces we’ve done so far as we get closer to the start of SEC Media Days:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Mizzou
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
Now, let’s dive into the 4 players who make up Tennessee’s Mount Rushmore of QBs:
Peyton Manning (1994-97)
Yeah, no one is surprised to see Manning in the top spot here. His career is still the best individual career a quarterback has ever had on Rocky Top.
No, he didn’t win the Heisman Trophy (I promise I won’t talk about that too much, as I know it’s a sore spot for Vols fans), but that 1997 season was incredible. Manning racked up 3,819 yards through the air to go with 36 touchdowns. Probably to the surprise of many, Manning also ran for 3 scores.
His 11,201 career passing yards is No. 1 all-time in Tennessee lore. His 101 career TDs (89 passing, 12 rushing) rank first in school history. Name a passing record at Tennessee and Manning probably has it. He remains a legend on Rocky Top.
Tee Martin (1996-99)
What Manning started, Martin finished. After sitting behind Manning for the 1996 and 1997 seasons, Martin led the Vols to a national title in 1998. Tennessee went a perfect 13-0 that season, beating Mississippi State in the SEC Championship Game and then taking down a tough Florida State team in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the national championship.
Martin threw for 2,164 yards and 19 touchdowns that year while adding 7 scores as a runner. It’s Tennessee’s most-recent national championship and it was a dominant season, so Martin deserves his spot on the Vols’ QB Mount Rushmore.
Heath Shuler (1991-93)
Shuler is on this list primarily for his 1993 efforts. That year, much like Manning would do toward the end of the decade, Shuler finished second in the Heisman voting. Manning finished second to Charles Woodson, while Shuler finished a distant second to FSU QB Charlie Ward.
Shuler threw for 4,066 yards and 35 touchdowns in his 2 full seasons as a starter, which was pretty good for that era. He went a combined 18-5-1 as the starter over those 2 years, winning 9 games each in 1992 and 1993.
He became the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. From 1992 to 1999, the Vols had either Shuler, Manning or Martin as their starting QB. Not too bad!
Hendon Hooker (2021-22)
In 2 years at Tennessee after transferring from Virginia Tech, Hooker made quite the impact. He threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and, most impressively, only 5 interceptions. Seriously, he just did not turn the ball over.
In 2022, Hooker was the QB for the Vols when they beat Alabama for the first time in 15 years in one of the wildest college football games of the 2020s thus far. For that reason alone, he’s a legend in Knoxville. But the way he made so many big plays while not putting the ball at risk is why he’s an all-time great at the QB position.
Honorable Mentions: Condredge Holloway, Joshua Dobbs, Casey Clausen, Erik Ainge
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
