It is truly unbelievable to think we are watching 3 of the greatest to ever wear the orange are playing right now. It will be several years before they are truly appreciated but collectively and personally what they have accomplished at this university is truly amazing.
Barnett- Is he the greatest defensive player to ever strap on the Power T? A lot of people will say no. Hell, "How could you ever say he is better than Reggie, or Al, or Leonard, or Eric? Well, as a junior, he is 8 sacks away from setting the all-time school sack record, and he has done this without the benefit of all world tackle play, and opposite of nobody spectacular. teams have literally schemed Derek Barnett without fear from the other side, and what has he done?> Just kicked their ass consistently. No, he isn't as pure a pass rusher as garrett, but he is so much better than Garrett as an end. He plays the run like a tackle, and he rushes the passer like a jack lb, or pass rushing specialist. He has fantastic bend around the edge and he is so low, his shoulder literally scraps the ground. As good as anybody I have ever seen.
Hurd- Going to be the all-time leading rusher in UT history, and in only 3 years. Some say, but Jamal, Travis, Travis, Charlie, Chuck, on and on. To me the thing that makes Jalen so damn special is, unlike any of the guys I have mentioned, Jalen has ran behind and gained these yards behind some of the worst offensive lines I have ever seen at UT. Those guys had some true studs paving the way for them. Jalen has been hit at or behind the los and gained most of those yards off of pure will and determination. He is the best pass blocking back I have ever seen, and on top of that, he is a fantastic receiver out of the back field. He doesn't take plays off, and his mentality is that of a defensive tackle that wants to kill somebody. He is truly a special dude, and somebody whos legend will grow with years.
Dobbs- What can you say about this guy. He is literally the top 5 best players that have ever played at this university. The crazy part about that is people have openly, and vehemently called for him to be benched or said things like, "I can't wait until he graduates". Holy shit, we would at best be 1 and 4 without him this year, and possibly 0-5. He will leave here as a statistically top 3-5 passer all time, and the top rusher. The intangibles are what matters the most, and they cannot be quantified through stats. He has accomplished all of this as a freaking Rhodes Scholar, and after being thrust into game action as a freshman against Alabama. Holy smokes, it is truly amazing he is still able to cognitively function, let alone able to process so many things.
It truly is amazing these three guys are here together, and have been able to accomplish so much in their time on the hill. I hope that we as Vol fans can slow it down a little, and truly appreciate the few remaining games these guys have left, because it is likely to be a very long time until we have these types of guys again, and it will be even longer until we have 3 on the field at the same time.
So, here's to you Josh, Jalen, and Derek.
Barnett- Is he the greatest defensive player to ever strap on the Power T? A lot of people will say no. Hell, "How could you ever say he is better than Reggie, or Al, or Leonard, or Eric? Well, as a junior, he is 8 sacks away from setting the all-time school sack record, and he has done this without the benefit of all world tackle play, and opposite of nobody spectacular. teams have literally schemed Derek Barnett without fear from the other side, and what has he done?> Just kicked their ass consistently. No, he isn't as pure a pass rusher as garrett, but he is so much better than Garrett as an end. He plays the run like a tackle, and he rushes the passer like a jack lb, or pass rushing specialist. He has fantastic bend around the edge and he is so low, his shoulder literally scraps the ground. As good as anybody I have ever seen.
Hurd- Going to be the all-time leading rusher in UT history, and in only 3 years. Some say, but Jamal, Travis, Travis, Charlie, Chuck, on and on. To me the thing that makes Jalen so damn special is, unlike any of the guys I have mentioned, Jalen has ran behind and gained these yards behind some of the worst offensive lines I have ever seen at UT. Those guys had some true studs paving the way for them. Jalen has been hit at or behind the los and gained most of those yards off of pure will and determination. He is the best pass blocking back I have ever seen, and on top of that, he is a fantastic receiver out of the back field. He doesn't take plays off, and his mentality is that of a defensive tackle that wants to kill somebody. He is truly a special dude, and somebody whos legend will grow with years.
Dobbs- What can you say about this guy. He is literally the top 5 best players that have ever played at this university. The crazy part about that is people have openly, and vehemently called for him to be benched or said things like, "I can't wait until he graduates". Holy shit, we would at best be 1 and 4 without him this year, and possibly 0-5. He will leave here as a statistically top 3-5 passer all time, and the top rusher. The intangibles are what matters the most, and they cannot be quantified through stats. He has accomplished all of this as a freaking Rhodes Scholar, and after being thrust into game action as a freshman against Alabama. Holy smokes, it is truly amazing he is still able to cognitively function, let alone able to process so many things.
It truly is amazing these three guys are here together, and have been able to accomplish so much in their time on the hill. I hope that we as Vol fans can slow it down a little, and truly appreciate the few remaining games these guys have left, because it is likely to be a very long time until we have these types of guys again, and it will be even longer until we have 3 on the field at the same time.
So, here's to you Josh, Jalen, and Derek.
