Best Vol True Freshman Ever

#102
#102
GregAmsler said:
I assumed that the original poster was referring to football players, given that this is a football board. But if we’re including other sports:

Bernard King
Ernie Grunfeld
Allan Houston
Todd Helton
R.A. Dickey
Chamique Holdsclaw
Tamika Catchings
Tobias Harris
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Y’all know who was another great true freshman who no one ever talks about because he finished at another school and played on perhaps the worst UT team ever?

Ed Gray. He went on to become the PAC 10 POY at Cal then became a 1st round pick in the NBA. But his freshmen year was Wade Houston’s last at Tennessee, so it’s largely forgotten. He was the lone bright spot on a team that only won 4 games.
 
#103
#103
Peyton Manning was one of the greatest of all time but it’s hard to argue against Jamal Lewis’ freshmen season. I can’t remember a more dominant true freshmen that played for us. I’ll put Eric Berry up there too.
 
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#104
#104
Benard king and there is not a number two. Jamal Lewis, Alan Houston and maybe Peyton are number 3. What was so amazing about Peyton was that his mental ability was far above his physical ability.

All of these are relatively young historical freshmen. They didn’t used to let freshman play, at least that often.

Does anybody remember going to Neyland during the week and watching the freshman JV team play against teams like Northeast Oklahoma and Coffeyville Community College Kansas. I remember Heath Shuler as a freshman tearing it up. Before they used to let freshman play these were incredible games. All of the highly recruited freshmen would get their opportunity to play
 
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#107
#107
finn said:
Agree with all those but think Barnett was the most impressive.

Rarely does a true freshman stack up in raw physical ability considering most linemen we went up against were upperclassmen in their 20's. Don't want to diminish Jamal and Berry but speed was their X factor whereas Barnett needed speed, strength, and finesse.
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Not sure how I forgot about Barnett. Great call. And yeah, AJ Johnson and Kelly Washington also belong on that list.
 
#108
#108
JonGrudensAgent said:
Lewis should have been starting from game 1.

Fulmer held him back until after the FL game due to "pass blocking".

Here is a video for the young'ns who don't know what Neyland is capable of sounding like.

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Well, this game was at the Swamp, so...

You're right about how dumb it was to hold Lewis out of that game. He magically picked up pass blocking the next week and ran for 150+ yards. I think Florida's pass rush would have been far less effective if they'd had to contend with Jamal Lewis instead of just pinning their ears back. That decision may have cost Manning the Heisman.
 
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#109
#109
GregAmsler said:
Well, this game was at the Swamp, so...

You're right about how dumb it was to hold Lewis out of that game. He magically picked up pass blocking the next week and ran for 150+ yards. I think Florida's pass rush would have been far less effective if they'd had to contend with Jamal Lewis instead of just pinning their ears back. That decision may have cost Manning the Heisman.
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Yep. Lewis pretty much went off the rest of the season. Could have taken pressure off Manning in that game and Peyton was always judged by the FL game.

Not sure it cost them a national title since they ran into Nebraska in the Orange Bowl but it was still a bad move.
 
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#111
#111
JonGrudensAgent said:
Yep. Lewis pretty much went off the rest of the season. Could have taken pressure off Manning in that game and Peyton was always judged by the FL game.

Not sure it cost them a national title since they ran into Nebraska in the Orange Bowl but it was still a bad move.
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Yeah, nobody was gonna beat that Nebraska team. The only way Tennessee wins a National Title that year would have been to take the Michigan route and play in the Big Ten.
 
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