Tennessee Football: 5 Best Seasons for a Vols Player Since 2000

The Tennessee Volunteers' easy victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the TaxSlayer Bowl not only gave the program its first winning season since 2009 but also provided a brief reminder of a time when the Vols were routinely in the hunt for national titles.

With the amount of talent that second-year head coach Butch Jones is assembling in Knoxville, that brief reminder may turn out to be a preview of things to come, as the Vols appear poised to burst back onto the national scene as early as next season. 

A quick glance at top, nationally relevant SEC teams in recent years reveals one thing nearly all of them have in common: elite players who had elite seasons.

The Vols have had no shortage of highly talented players during the past few seasons, but few of them had the stats necessary to lift the team to victory. In fact, it's telling that Tennessee's last player to receive All-America honors was Eric Berry in 2009.

Here's a look back at five of the most impressive years by Vols dating back to the 2000 season. 

Casey Clausen: 2003

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Casey Clausen's 2003 season remains one of the greatest of all time for Tennessee quarterbacks.

While not as statistically impressive as Peyton Manning's junior or senior seasons, Clausen's second victory in a row in The Swamp and five-overtime win against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2003 cemented his legacy as The Iceman.

He was also under center when Tennessee snapped the Miami Hurricanes' 28-game home winning streak. Although it was one of Clausen's worst performances of the season, as he completed just 11 of 18 passes for 81 yards, he helped the Vols win yet another tough road game in a hostile environment. 

Eric Berry: 2008

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Despite the Vols posting a 5-7 record in Tennessee that led to the firing of longtime head coach Phillip Fulmer, sophomore safety Eric Berry had one of the greatest seasons for a defensive back in NCAA history.

His 72 total tackles, including three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, combined with his 13 passes defended and seven interceptions, gave him the honor of being Tennessee's first unanimous All-American since 1990, according to his official UTSports.com bio.

Tennessee's defense that year, anchored by Berry's exceptional play in the defensive backfield, was one of the few highlights in a season that featured one of the worst offenses in school history.

Travis Stephens: 2001

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In most years, the Florida Gators manage to find one player on their roster that Tennessee can't stop. Most of the time, it was a well-known star like Tim Tebow or Percy Harvin, while other times it was a backup quarterback who faded into obscurity soon after. 

But in 2001, the Vols flipped the script for once with a secret weapon of their own: Travis Stephens.

He rushed for 1,464 yards and 10 touchdowns that year, including a career-high 226 yards on 19 carries against the Gators in The Swamp.

The Vols entered the game as huge underdogs to the No. 2 Gators, despite carrying a No. 4 ranking of their own. 

As usual, Tennessee got Florida's best and then some, but the Gators simply had no answer for Stephens, as he averaged nearly 12 yards per carry in that game and five yards per carry throughout the rest of the regular season. 

John Henderson: 2000

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The phenomenal performance of freshman defensive end Derek Barnett in 2014 brings to mind another unstoppable defensive force for the Vols: John Henderson.

Big John earned first-team All-America honors and the 2000 Outland Trophy after piling up 71 total tackles, including 12 sacks and nine tackles for loss at the defensive tackle position.

The recent arrival of freshman defensive tackle and early enrollee Shy Tuttle, who will likely anchor the interior of Tennessee's defensive line in the near future along with fellow freshman Kahlil McKenzie, could give the Vols their first truly dominant front four since Henderson and Albert Haynesworth ruled the SEC.

Robert Meachem: 2006

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Tennessee's reputation as Wide Receiver U is well-deserved, with players like Peerless Price, Cedric Wilson, Denarius Moore, Justin Hunter, Da'Rick Rogers and Cordarrelle Patterson all representing the Vols in the NFL in recent years.

However, none had as good of a season as Robert Meachem put together in 2006. His 1,298 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 71 receptions gave him All-America honors and helped the Vols to a 9-4 record and second place finish in the SEC East, capped by a 51-33 victory over the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.