Honorable Mentions
Below are four players that barely missed the cut.
Some played their entire career in orange and white, while others barely played one season before departing.
Bryce Brown
Running back Bryce Brown is the highest-rated high school football prospect to ever sign with the University of Tennessee, according to the 247Sports composite.
Brown signed in Lane Kiffin’s 2009 class. He was the No. 1 running back in the 2009 recruiting class, and the No. 2 overall player. His recruiting process included him decommitting from Miami.
The former Vol ran for 460 yards and three touchdowns during his freshman season.
Shortly after Kiffin announced his departure to USC, Brown announced he would transfer back to his home state. He transferred to Kansas State.
Brown was taken as a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
He rushed for 564 yards during his rookie season. The former Vol recorded over 1,000 rushing yards and seven touchdowns during his four-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks.
Kahlil McKenzie
McKenzie was the face of Tennessee’s 2015 recruiting class under Butch Jones.
The California standout was rated No. 6 in the country and the No. 2 defensive tackle. He is the son of former Vol Reggie McKenzie.
In his three-year career at Tennessee, the five-star McKenzie dealt with injuries.
He was a part of two 9-4 campaigns in 2015 and 2016. The 2017 season was McKenzie’s best season statistically, totaling 36 tackles, four for a loss and two sacks.
McKenzie was drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 to play offensive line, and he has been on several practice squads since.
The former Vol is on the Bengals’ practice squad.
Gerald Riggs Jr.
A Chattanooga native, Riggs Jr. signed with the Vols in 2002 as a five-star prospect and the top-rated running back in his class.
The son of former NFL running back Gerald Riggs Sr., Riggs Jr. signed to play for Phillip Fulmer shortly after the Vols’ loss to LSU in the 2001 SEC championship game.
During his junior season, Riggs Jr. rushed for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry in 2004. He reached the 1,000-yard mark alongside Cedric Houston in 2004, marking the first time two UT running backs rushed for 1,000 yards in one season.
After injuries kept him off the field during his senior season, Riggs Jr. briefly made appearances on the practice squads of the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
He is the running backs coach at North Jackson High School in Stevenson, Alabama.
Michael Munoz
Michael Munoz, a 6-foot-7, 290-pound five-star prospect out of Cincinnati, Ohio, was part of the Vols’ 2000 signing class.
Munoz was the No. 2 offensive tackle in his class, the No. 10 player in the country and the No. 1 player in Ohio.
He battled injuries throughout his Tennessee career, but he was a starter all four seasons he played in Knoxville for Phillip Fulmer.
Munoz was a consensus All-American in 2004, and the recipient of the Draddy Trophy — now recognized as the Campbell Trophy — an award given to the college football player most exemplifying excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Munoz’s injuries at Tennessee prevented him from enjoying an NFL career.