Tennessee Vols: Top 10 most unbelievable moments of the 2010s
The 2010s were full of unexpected moments for the Tennessee Vols. After the 2000's culminated with change (longtime UT football head coach Phillip Fulmer being replaced in late 2008), the 2010s were expected to bring a new era of stability. However, that was far from the case. Nearly every facet of Tennessee athletics underwent major […]
The 2010s were full of unexpected moments for the Tennessee Vols.
After the 2000's culminated with change (longtime UT football head coach Phillip Fulmer being replaced in late 2008), the 2010s were expected to bring a new era of stability.
However, that was far from the case.
Nearly every facet of Tennessee athletics underwent major changes in the 2010s.
It was a decade full of moments that were deemed "unbelievable". Some of them were good, some bad, some sad. But all of them had a major impact.
Here are what I believe are the 10 most unbelievable moments of the decade, starting with one that you might've missed if you blinked.
10. Donnie Tyndall Madness
Cuonzo Martin's surprise resignation from Tennessee in 2014 left the Vols in a tough spot.
Martin started the 2013-14 season on the hot seat, but his team finished strong and reached the Sweet 16.
A few weeks after losing to Michigan in the Sweet 16, Martin left UT to take over at California.
The Vols tabbed Donnie Tyndall, who was the head coach at Southern Miss, as Martin's replacement.
After a 16-16 season in 2014-15, Tyndall was fired by Tennessee due to his involvement with major violations at Southern Mississippi. Tyndall was eventually hit with a 10 year show cause penalty.
It was a bizarre end to Tyndall's brief coaching stint in Knoxville. But it worked out pretty well for the Vols. Rick Barnes replaced Tyndall and he's been a perfect fit at Tennessee.
The Number 9 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
9. Derek Barnett breaks Reggie White's sack record
Reggie White is one of the most beloved players in Tennessee football history.
And his school record 32 sacks was a record that stood for over 30 years.
Until, of course, Derek Barnett came along.
Barnett, who played only three seasons at Tennessee, was a dominant player during his time on Rocky Top.
As a true freshman, Barnett registered 10 sacks. He matched that total in his sophomore year. As a junior, Barnett totaled 13 sacks, including one in the Music City Bowl that broke White's UT record.
Had Barnett played another season at Tennessee, he likely would've set an unbreakable record. Instead, Barnett declared for the NFL draft and was selected with the No. 14 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Number 8 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
8. Jalen Hurd leaves the team midseason
Jalen Hurd arrived at Tennessee in 2014 as a four-star in-state recruit with a lot of hype.
And he immediately delivered on the hype.
As a true freshman, Hurd totaled 1,120 yards from scrimmage while scoring seven touchdowns.
In 2015, Hurd rushed for 1,285 yards (the seventh most in a season in UT history) and caught 22 passes for 190 yards (and scored 14 total touchdowns).
There was a legitimate chance in 2016 that Hurd, even with with the presence of Alvin Kamara, could become the all-time leading rusher at Tennessee.
But when the team started collapsing mid-season, Hurd decided he'd had enough of Butch Jones and he shockingly left the team.
In 2018, Hurd explained that after multiple injuries (some undisclosed at the time), he asked the staff to be used in different ways. According to Hurd, his request was shot down.
There are plenty of differing views on Hurd's unceremonious exit from Tennessee, but I think everyone can agree it was one of the most unbelievable moments of the decade.
The Number 7 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
7. Tennessee finally beats Florida
After the Vols narrowly lost to Florida in 2014 and 2015, it felt like a UT victory over the Gators might never happen again.
That feeling went from "might never happen" to "probably never will happen" after the Gators opened up a 21-0 first half lead over the Vols in 2016.
But then Josh Dobbs started working his magic.
After getting the Vols to within four points of Florida, Dobbs tossed an iconic 67 yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings to give UT the lead. The Jennings reception is an iconic moment in Vol history.
Tennessee ended up winning the game 38-28 after their incredible second half surge. It was the Vols' first win against Florida since 2004.
The Number 6 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Getty
6. Vols lose in heartbreaking fashion to LSU
In 2010, the Vols were once again in the midst of a new era. Derek Dooley took over as UT's head coach in early January after Lane Kiffin's surprising departure.
Tennessee started the season 2-2, with losses to Oregon and Florida.
When the Vols traveled to Baton Rouge in early October, the Tigers were ranked No. 12 in the nation. It was a matchup that LSU was expected to easily win.
The Vols, however, played exceptionally well. And they appeared to win the game after stuffing LSU on the goal line as time expired.
Of course, that's not how the game ended at all. The Vols had 13 men on the field, which gave LSU an untimed down. The Tigers won the game on a Stevan Ridley touchdown.
(Side note: I was watching the game at a party, around a bunch of non-UT fans, and I left the living room where the game was on to rejoin the party after the goal line stand. It wasn't until a couple of hours later that I found out how Tennessee lost the game. Many more beers were consumed at that point.)
I'm not sure Dooley, or Tennessee, ever recovered from the loss.
The Number 5 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
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5. Basket-Vols ranked No.1 for a month
Tennessee football gets a lot of attention for its ups-and-downs (mostly downs) in the 2010s, but the basketball program was right there as well.
Tennessee's basketball program went from being on top of the world with Bruce Pearl (who was let go at UT in 2011), to the mixed results of the Cuonzo Martin era, to the brief Donnie Tyndall era, all the way to Rick Barnes, a perceived retread coach who couldn't recruit.
We've since learned, of course, that Barnes is a perfect fit — both basketball wise and culturally — as Tennessee's head basketball coach.
And while we don't know what the future holds for UT basketball under Barnes (perhaps even better times are on the way), there's no doubt that the 2018-19 team will always hold a special place in the hearts of Vol fans.
The Vols started the season ranked No. 6. They suffered an early season loss to Kansas, but then they reeled off 19 straight wins.
Tennessee ascended to No. 1 in January and they stayed there until losing on the road against Kentucky in February. It was an incredible winter of basketball for the Vols that won't soon be forgotten.
The Number 4 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
4. Lane Kiffin leaves Tennessee for USC
For the first half of the decade, this would've undoubtedly been the most unbelievable moment for the Vols.
I guess that tells you how wild the decade has been.
Lane Kiffin arrived at Tennessee in late 2008 with plenty of confidence and energy.
In his lone season at UT, the Vols showed a lot of promise. Tennessee went 7-6 in 2009, nearly upsetting one of the best Alabama teams ever.
There was plenty of optimism for the Vols heading into 2010, but a chain of events that had appeared to have nothing to do with Tennessee ended up changing the trajectory of the program.
On January 8, the Seattle Seahawks fired Jim Mora as their head coach.
USC head coach Pete Carroll, facing scrutiny from NCAA, left the Trojans to take the job in Seattle. USC then swooped in and hired Kiffin away from Tennessee.
(Here's the oral history of the night Kiffin left Tennessee, which sums everything up perfectly.)
It wasn't pretty in Knoxville when news of Kiffin's departure broke.
One of the most memorable aspects of Kiffin's exit from Tennessee was the bizarre press conference he held after the news broke.
No one does football coaching transitions quite like Tennessee.
The Number 3 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Athlon Sports
3. Jauan Jennings hail mary reception to beat Georgia
Tennessee fans grew accustomed to heartbreak in the 2010s.
There were so many times the Vols were thisclose to winning a big game, and then something went awry (the LSU game, the UNC bowl game in 2010, the loss to Oklahoma in 2015, etc.)
So when Georgia took a late lead on Tennessee after a 47 yard touchdown pass from Jacob Eason to Riley Ridley, it was business as usual for UT fans.
And that's what made this moment even more special.
After a good kick return from Evan Berry took the ball to Georgia's 43 yard line, Josh Dobbs heaved a picture perfect hail mary that wide receiver Jauan Jennings was able to leap and grab for the touchdown, stunning the crowd at Sanford Stadium into silence.
There wasn't a better on-the-field moment for the Vols in the 2010s.
The Number 2 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
Image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
2. Coaching search in 2017
This entire list probably could've just been all the wild moments from Tennessee's 2017 coaching search.
But that wouldn't be much fun. Instead, I just put the entire search here at the top of the list.
You know all the details by now. There's no sense in a lengthy recap. But I do want to highlight the most bizarre moments from the search.
- John Currie's press conference announcing the firing of Butch Jones, where he sidesteps a question about Jon Gruden.
- The constant "Grumors", which include Jon Gruden talking on a Seattle radio station about how much he loves Rocky Top.
- A Knoxville restaurant confirms Gruden dined at their establishment with Peyton Manning, before saying the whole thing was a mixup.
- Schiano Sunday.
- Mike Gundy entertains offer from Tennessee….again. And turns down the Vols….again.
- Purdue's Jeff Brohm is almost hired by Tennessee, but the deal falls apart.
- NC State's Dave Doeren becomes a serious candidate for UT, then athletic director John Currie just stops responding to him/his agent.
- Currie secretly meets with Washington State's Mike Leach in California and Leach is ready to take the job.
- Currie is fired.
- Phillip Fulmer becomes new AD and quickly hires Jeremy Pruitt.
And those are just the cliff notes. There were plenty of other wild moments in the coaching search (airport stakeout anyone?), that made it one of the most unbelievable moments of the decade in college football.
Featured image via John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
The Number 1 most unbelievable moment of the 2010's >>>>>>
1. The passing of a legend
This list would be pointless if it didn't end with Pat Summitt.
If you go to any random place in the country and ask someone about Tennessee athletics, there's a very good chance that "Pat Summitt" will be the first words that leave their lips.
Summitt isn't just a legend at Tennessee — she's a legend in the sports world as a whole.
The Clarksville native, who holds the record for most consecutive NCAA postseason appearances (among many, many other records), stepped down as the Lady Vols' head coach in 2012 due to her battle with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Summitt passed away at the age of 64 on June, 28 2016 in Knoxville.
The eight-time NCAA champion left behind an incredible legacy at Tennessee, while directly touching the lives of hundreds of student-athletes and indirectly touching the lives of countless others.
There truly aren't enough words to describe the impact of Summitt on UT athletics.
A true legend in every sense of the word, her passing was undoubtedly the toughest moment for Big Orange nation to process in the 2010s.
Image via Getty
