The 3 most underrated players for the Tennessee Vols in 2022
The 2022 season was truly magical for the Tennessee Vols. Nearly two years ago, the Vols were coming off a 3-7 season, they fired their head coach (Jeremy Pruitt), and they were in the early stages of an NCAA recruiting investigation. There wasn't a lot of optimism in East Tennessee. Fast forward to the end […]
The 2022 season was truly magical for the Tennessee Vols.
Nearly two years ago, the Vols were coming off a 3-7 season, they fired their head coach (Jeremy Pruitt), and they were in the early stages of an NCAA recruiting investigation.
There wasn't a lot of optimism in East Tennessee.
Fast forward to the end of the 2022 season and the Volunteers are a 10-2 team that spent most of the season as a College Football Playoff contender. And they're gearing up for an Orange Bowl matchup against the Clemson Tigers.
Players like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, and Bru McCoy have received most of the headlines this season.
But it takes 11 on each side of the ball to win 10 games. And there were several Vols that didn't receive nearly enough credit this season for their play.
Here are the three Tennessee players that I felt were the most underrated in 2022.
Jabari Small — Running Back
This could really be all three running backs that saw significant action this season — Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright, and Dylan Sampson.
Small, though, has specifically been underrated this year.
The Memphis native was second in total yards for the Vols during the regular season with 802. He was also second on the team with 14 total touchdowns — just one behind Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt.
The passing game got most of the attention, but the Vols' running game was just as lethal. Tennessee led the nation in rushing touchdowns with 39. 12 of those rushing touchdowns were from Small.
Ramel Keyton — Wide Receiver
Cedric Tillman and Bru McCoy received the hype heading into the season. And Jalin Hyatt turned into a superstar with his weekly highlight reel touchdown catches.
Ramel Keyton, meanwhile, just quietly flew under the radar. The senior wide receiver hadn't caught more than nine passes in a season before catching 27 (for 486 yards) in 2022.
After Tillman was injured against Akron early in the season, Keyton became one of the Vols' top three wide receiver options. And he delivered.
Keyton made several huge catches for Tennessee throughout the season. Most memorable, perhaps, was his diving catch against Florida. His catch on the Vols' final drive against Alabama that led to Chase McGrath's game-winning field goal was equally as memorable.
Darnell Wright — Offensive Tackle
The unsung heroes for the Vols in 2022 were UT's offensive linemen.
And that offensive line was anchored by Darnell Wright, a future NFL starter.
Wright didn't hear his name mentioned often during broadcasts this season, but he was an incredibly important part of Tennessee's success.
His best moment this season was against Alabama when he helped shut down Crimson Tide pass rusher Will Anderson.
Anderson will likely be a top-five selection in the 2023 NFL Draft — and he deserves to be.
But against Wright and the Vols, Anderson was essentially a non-factor.
Any offensive tackle that shuts down the top edge rusher in college football deserves some praise. Without Wright, the Vols' offense doesn't run nearly as smoothly in 2022.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
