The Tennessee Vols hit multiple low points over the last ten years.

Losing Lane Kiffin to USC in early 2010, the firing of Derek Dooley in late 2012, the numerous heartbreaking losses under Butch Jones and then the lowest of lows in 2017 which resulted in a fired coach, a fired athletic director and a coaching search that will go down in history for its multiple twists and turns.

But despite the roller coaster ride that Tennessee's been on, there have still been a lot of great players that have donned the Power T over the last ten years.

Putting together a list of the top 10 players of the last decade for the Vols was a more difficult task than I thought it would be. Tennessee had a lot of talent on Rocky Top at various points in the 2010's. And a lot of under-appreciated players.

Just missed the cut

QB Tyler Bray, RB Alvin Kamara, TE Mychal Rivera, OL Zach Fulton, OL Antonio Richardson, OL Dallas Thomas, WR Josh Malone, CB Cam Sutton

10. Cordarrelle Patterson — WR (2012)

Cordarrelle Patterson only played one year at Tennessee, which is the reason he isn't higher on this list. But that one year was incredibly special. Patterson is one of the most dynamic players to ever take the field for the Vols. In 2012, Patterson caught 46 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 308 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Patterson made an impact on special teams, netting a kick return for a touchdown and a punt return for a touchdown. He was a threat to score every time he touched the ball.

9. Jalen Reeves-Maybin — LB (2013-2016)

I think Jalen Reeves-Maybin is one of the more underrated players that's played at Tennessee. Reeves-Maybin made a huge impact on special teams as a true freshman in 2013, and then proceeded to top 100 total tackles in 2014 and 2015. Injuries limited Reeves-Maybin to only four games as a senior in 2016, which is part of the reason the Vols faded down the stretch.

8. Justin Hunter — WR (2010-2012)

Justin Hunter showed a lot of promise as a true freshman in 2010, catching 16 passes for 415 yards and seven touchdowns. He got off to a great start in 2011, hauling in 17 passes for 314 yards in three games. Unfortunately, Hunter suffered a torn ACL against Florida, ending his sophomore season. The Virginia native returned to form in 2012, catching 73 passes for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns. No UT player has topped 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Hunter in 2012.

7. Trey Smith — OL (2017-2020)

Trey Smith arrived in Knoxville as the top rated recruit in the nation. And he immediately made an impact. Smith started all 12 games as a true freshman in 2017. He started the first seven games of the 2018 season before he was forced to sit out due to blood clots. Smith made an incredible comeback in 2019, playing in all 13 games while starting 12 games at left guard. Smith announced in January that he will return to UT in 2020 for his senior season.

6. Ja'Wuan James — OL (2010-2013)

Ja'Wuan James is another player that I think is incredibly underrated. James played in 49 career games at Tennessee. He started all of those games at right tackle (his 49 starts is a record for an offensive lineman at Tennessee). James was drafted with the No. 19 overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2014 NFL Draft.

5. AJ Johnson — LB (2011-2014)

AJ Johnson finished his career second in UT history with 425 tackles. His 207 career assisted tackles is a school record. Johnson wasn't just a tackling machine at Tennessee, either. Johnson rushed for six touchdowns out of the "Beast Package" in 2012 (his six rushing touchdowns led the team).

4. Jalen Hurd — RB (2014-2016)

This might not be a popular choice, because of the way Jalen Hurd left Tennessee (in the middle of the 2016 season). But Hurd absolutely deserves to be on this list. And he deserves to be high on the list. Hurd is No. 6 all-time in career rushing yards at Tennessee. His 1,288 rushing yards in 2015 is the seventh most in a season by a UT player. Hurd's 589 rushing attempts is second all-time in school history. The Tennessee native also made an impact in the passing game, catching 67 passes for 492 yards during his time on Rocky Top.

3. Jauan Jennings — WR (2015-2019)

It's not always all about the numbers, though Jauan Jennings had some nice stats during his time at Tennessee. Jennings' impact on the Vols, however, went beyond the box score. Jennings was the heart and soul of the Vols' offense — especially over the last two years. The Murfreesboro native also had a lot of great moments at Tennessee, including his 67 yard touchdown reception in the Vols' comeback win against Florida in 2016. And, of course, his hail mary reception to lift Tennessee over Georgia in Athens in 2016.

2. Derek Barnett — DL (2014-2016)

No one expected Derek Barnett to dominate at Tennessee the way he did. Sure, Barnett was a four-star recruit, but his 247Sports recruiting ranking had him ranked below fellow 2014 UT signees like Dillon Bates, Cortez McDowell and Dewayne Hendrix, among others. Barnett wasn't suppose to be a star. But that's exactly what he became at Tennessee. It took Barnett just three years to break Reggie White's career sack record of 32 (Barnett finished his career with 33 sacks). Barnett is also second in UT history with 52 tackles for loss (behind Leonard Little's 53).

1. Josh Dobbs — QB (2013-2016)

Butch Jones should send Josh Dobbs a nice Christmas gift evert year. Because without Dobbs, Jones probably would've been gone after 2015. Dobbs covered up a lot of mistakes by Jones. When plays broke down (and they often did in Jones' offense), Dobbs was able to improvise and save the day. Dobbs finished his career as UT's career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. The Georgia native also finished fifth in career passing yards at Tenenssee.

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