It’s been a wild ride for Tennessee football over the past 10 years. From the end of the Derek Dooley era, to the missed opportunities of the Butch Jones regime, to the Jeremy Pruitt tenure that ended in scandal and now Josh Heupel’s time in the hot seat, it’s never boring in Big Orange Country.

Sometimes we forget that the Vols have had some athletes who have made their mark and will be remembered for decades to come among the UT faithful.

The following is one person’s opinion on the 10 most important players at Tennessee over the past 10 years (2012-21).

10. DB Todd Kelly Jr.

The Vols Class of 2014 was one of the best in the recent history of the program, and Todd Kelly Jr. was a big part of that group. Kelly, a local product from Webb School of Knoxville, was a 4-star safety that picked Tennessee over Alabama. That commitment was an eye-opener for the national perception of the Vols.

Kelly then became an extension of Tennessee’s recruiting staff, working to secure other 4-star in-state standouts like WR Josh Malone, RB Jalen Hurd and DE Derek Barnett. That class was the cornerstone of team that won 9 games in 2015 and again 2016.

Injuries limited Kelly’s final 2 seasons in Knoxville.

9. DB Alontae Taylor

The crazy coaching search of 2017 left Jeremy Pruitt and that new coaching staff scrambling. Taylor had decommitted, but Pruitt persuaded him to recommit.

Taylor was a high school quarterback that was recruited to Tennessee as a wide receiver but then was almost immediately moved to the secondary. He was also one of a handful of Vols that chose to stick around after Pruitt’s firing and Heupel’s hiring.

That move to the secondary worked out for both parties. Taylor was a team leader, played in 45 games for the Vols while starting 31. He was picked in the 2nd round of April’s NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

8. OL Cade Mays

His journey to the UT campus was a long, strange trip. Mays, a 5-star recruit and a Tennessee legacy, was committed to Tennessee for over 2 years before decommitting during the end of the Butch Jones era. Mays chose Georgia, where he was a 2-year starter.

Then in January 2020, he left Georgia and transferred to Tennessee.

Mays started 17 games for the Vols and while injuries limited him a bit, he helped change the perception of the program. Mays was taken in the 6th round of April’s NFL Draft by Carolina.

7. DL Derek Barnett

He wasn’t the top recruit in that Class of 2014, but he proved to be the best of the bunch. Barnett started 36 of his 39 games as a Vol and was at times unblockable.

He broke Reggie White’s Vols career sack record with 33 and was taken 14th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Barnett was the highest draft pick for a Tennessee player since Eric Berry went 5th overall by Kansas City in 2010.

Barnett had a key fumble recovery in the 4th quarter of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over New England in February 2018.

6. WR Cordarrelle Patterson

Tennessee has had its share of spectacular athletes over its storied history, but Cordarrelle Patterson is near the top.

Patterson was only at UT for one season (2012), but he produced enough highlights to fill a decade. He was a chess master playing amateurs as a receiver, running back or a kick returner.

Sadly, the 2012 Vols had Sal Sunseri running the defense and they couldn’t stop anyone. Patterson’s exploits lost to history on a 5-7 team.

5. OL Trey Smith

He was a 5-star recruit. He was the first true freshman to start at left guard for the Vols in over 30 years. He was a 4-year starter that fought back from what could have been career-ending blood clots. He was an All-American.

Trey Smith was also a community leader and winner of the 2019 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.

Those blood clots scared a lot of NFL teams away, but the Kansas City Chiefs got a steal in the 6th round. Smith started every game for the Chiefs as a rookie in 2021.

4. QB Hendon Hooker

Heading into the 2021 season, Josh Heupel picked transfer Joe Milton as his starting quarterback. But after the 2nd game of the season, another transfer took control of the offense.

Hendon Hooker put together one of the best seasons for a quarterback in Tennessee history. He had 3,565 yards of total offense. He threw for 31 TDs and only had 3 INTs while completing 68% of his passes.

Heupel’s system is a challenge for defenses if you have the right personnel. Hooker might not have been his first choice, but he has changed the direction of Tennessee’s football program.

3. WR Jauan Jennings

Two of the biggest plays in the modern era of Tennessee football had Jauan Jennings at the forefront, and they happened in consecutive weeks in 2016. His 4th-quarter touchdown catch against Florida and Hail Mary grab against Georgia are mainstays on the Neyland Stadium jumbotron.

Things went sour for Tennessee football following that season. Jennings was kicked off the team following an expletive-laden rant against interim head coach Brady Hoke, but he was brought back by Pruitt and then AD Phillip Fulmer.

Jennings played every game with energy and emotion and Vols fans fed off that, making him a favorite that is still revered at UT.

2. RB Alvin Kamara

He redshirted at Alabama, played in JUCO, and then transferred to Tennessee. Kamara’s time as a Vol was impressive, but fans do have to wonder what might have been.

Kamara shared time in the backfield in 2015 and 2016 with Jalen Hurd. Despite his talents, Kamara got less than 12 touches a game. The only game in which Kamara was the focus of the offense came in an overtime loss at Texas A&M in which he had 312 all-purpose yards and scored 3 TDs.

Since the retirement of Peyton Manning, Kamara is the most recognizable former Vol in the National Football League. Now with the New Orleans Saints, he’s one of the best players in the game.

1. QB Josh Dobbs

He holds most of the records for rushing by a Tennessee quarterback and is prominent on the passing lists as well.

He started the final 31 games of his college career in a Butch Jones offense where the QB gets battered. He led the Vols to back-to-back 9-win seasons in 2015 and 2016, the first time that had happened since Fulmer’s exit. He also won 3 consecutive bowl games.

The fact that he was an aerospace engineering major was mentioned approximately 76,000 times on broadcasts.

Josh Dobbs was the Vols’ best player in this era of Tennessee football.