Tennessee Football: Ranking the 5 Most Consistent Players on the Volunteers

One of the biggest catch phrases Tennessee football coach Butch Jones loves to use over and over again when talking to his team and to the media is "consistency of performance."

It's something every coach harps on, but Jones dissects it so much during film study that he points out breakdowns in mechanics repetition from play to play.

It's a cornerstone of playing winning football, he believes.

Considering how young the Vols have been (and still are) over the course of Jones' three years in Knoxville, it hasn't always been an easy aspect to teach. But entering a season where UT is expected to at least compete and possibly contend, it'll be scrutinized even more closely.

So, who on Tennessee's roster has proved to be consistent forces for the Vols? There are several, and it's no surprise that the vast majority of those deserving to be on this list are upperclassmen.

One factor that was weighed heavily in devising this list was proving consistency over the course of time. Most players on this list have done it for years, and they are just perfecting their crafts as they mature. The one underclassman who made the list belongs because of his uncanny consistency of excellence.

These guys may not always get the headlines as being the biggest stars on the team, but Tennessee can count on them every time they step on the field.

You may not always hear safety Brian Randolph's name, but at times when he hasn't been on the field, the Vols have missed him desperately. Also, you don't hear Cameron Sutton's name a lot because of the position he plays.

Let's take a look at the five most consistent players on Tennessee's roster.

5. Brian Randolph, Safety

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It seems that Brian Randolph has been in Knoxville forever.

That's what happens when a player seizes a starting job early in his freshman season and has held onto it throughout his career. Throw in that he had also started three games in 2012 before a season-ending knee injury toward the end of the Florida game, and that's a lot of time under his belt.

The Marietta, Georgia, native has started 34 career games for the Vols with a full season left to play.

There's never a question of who's going to be written in ink on the back end of Tennessee's defense. Randolph may not be the most athletic or talented defender on the field, but he is a steadying force who shuts down big gains before they get out of hand.

While players such as Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt get the headlines, Randolph quietly has improved each year.

As a freshman, he finished with 55 tackles and a forced fumble. Then, he was off to a great start in '12 with 22 tackles before corkscrewing his knee on a missed tackle late in a loss to the Gators.

After rehabbing, he returned in 2013 to register 75 tackles and pluck a team-high four interceptions out of the air. Last year, he had 88 tackles and two more interceptions.

That steady progression isn't lost on coach Butch Jones, who knows what to expect from Randolph.

"Brian Randolph knows the entire defense, inside and out, can get players lined up and our players respect him," Jones told the Daily Times' Grant Ramey. "So having him on the football field really mentoring our young players has been invaluable for us."

When he had to miss the first half of last year's Missouri game following a targeting ejection against Kentucky, the Vols felt the impact.

UT has several young safeties who are waiting in the wings when Randolph exhausts eligibility, but they'll have some big cleats to fill after 2015.

4. Pig Howard, Wide Receiver

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He isn't the biggest Tennessee receiver or the most talented, but the Vols lean on Pig Howard during crucial moments.

When it comes to productivity, the 5'8", 187-pound senior from Orlando, Florida, is easily the most consistent target. Despite Joshua Dobbs' relationship off the field with Josh Malone and Marquez North, Howard was the go-to guy.

After a wacky offseason prior to 2014 that saw Howard miss spring practice and be away from the team for personal reasons for a while, he got back in good graces with his teammates and coaching staff. The growing-up process seemed to drive him last season.

Howard wound up with his best season in orange and white, catching 54 passes for 618 yards and a touchdown. His size hurts him once he gets in the red zone, but he is still a vital cog in the offense.

Two seasons ago, he had 44 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns.

Quietly, Howard could wind up as one of the most productive receivers in school history. He has 111 career catches, ranking 13th in school history. If he replicates last year's totals, he'll finish third in school history in catches. He's only 48 catches away from Cedrick Wilson in third.

That's lofty company considering UT is regarded as "Wide Receiver U."

All For Tennessee's Zach Ragan recently called Howard the Vols' most underrated player, and it's difficult to argue that point. It would be between him and Randolph.

UT may have a bunch of physical specimens who already look like they should be playing on Sundays, but it's the diminutive Howard who posts the best numbers.

3. Cameron Sutton, Cornerback

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If you're a casual SEC football fan, maybe you haven't heard of Cameron Sutton. That's ridiculous considering he's one of the top three or four defensive backs in the league, but it's understandable given the lack of publicity he receives.

Everybody around Knoxville knows he's a jewel.

There's also no way a talent like him goes overlooked by NFL scouts. As a matter of fact, despite his lack of hardware, Sutton is slated to go seventh overall by Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com:

"

Sutton was excellent for the Volunteers in 2014, recording 37 tackles with three interceptions, 13 passes broken up and four tackles for a loss for the year. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is a very physical defender who plays with a chip on his shoulder. Sutton was one of many superb freshman cornerbacks in college football in 2013. He recorded 39 tackles, seven passes broken up and two interceptions. Sutton has good size and speed for the position.

"

As a rising junior, getting selected that high would mean Sutton elected to forgo his senior season, which is a distinct possibility considering how talented he is.

Sutton is the epitome of a lockdown corner, and he grew so much in his trade last season that he routinely baited quarterbacks into making poor throws while he lurked back in the weeds and waited.

The Jonesboro, Georgia, native was only a 3-star prospect and the No. 78 overall athlete nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

It's safe to say the experts missed that one.

In two seasons, Sutton has been the model of consistency, sealing off one side of the field. He finished with 39 and 37 tackles the past two years with four tackles for a loss each season and went from two interceptions in 2013 to three interceptions last year.

The Vols will miss him when he leaves.

2. Derek Barnett, Defensive End

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Derek Barnett is the only underclassman on this entire list, but the sophomore defensive end proved he deserves a spot with a sterling freshman season.

As great as he was and as much recognition as the Brentwood, Tennessee, product received, he was still underappreciated. Inexplicably, his year was overshadowed by Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, despite Barnett having the better year.

Barnett had at least three tackles in every single game a year ago—no small feat for a defensive lineman. He finished with 72 tackles on the year.

He registered a tackle for a loss in every game but two—the season-opener against Utah State and a season-ending TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Iowa, a game in which he dominated NFL first-round pick Brandon Scherff.

"I've got high expectations for myself," Barnett told the Associated Press' Steve Megargee prior to the bowl game. "God gave me a bunch of talent, so I've got to use it in the correct way to help this team. I thought I could help this team out."

He did more than that. He turned into a star that the Vols could rely on to disrupt the opposing quarterback every game. On two separate occasions (against Ole Miss and South Carolina), he had three sacks. He also had eight more quarterback hurries on the year.

All told, Barnett had 20.5 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks in a highlight-reel season that ranks at the top of the list of Vols freshmen defensive linemen and probably in the top five of any UT lineman regardless of year.

He was an enforcer, and he didn't just do it every once in a while. Barnett plays with a motor that never quits.

1. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Outside Linebacker

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As a true freshman in 2013, Jalen Reeves-Maybin burst onto the scene as Tennessee's most consistent and productive player on special teams.

Last year, he transitioned smoothly into the same role on defense.

Senior middle linebacker A.J. Johnson got most of the publicity (even before the bad headlines), but Reeves-Maybin (or "JRM" as he's regularly called) had just as strong of a season.

Starting at weak-side linebacker as a true sophomore, JRM finished with 101 tackles, 11 for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. He filled up the stat sheet as a sideline-to-sideline, second-level stopper.

But it wasn't just a few monster games that played into those big numbers. JRM was consistently among the tackle leaders every time out.

He finished with double-digit stops three times (against Utah State, Georgia and a career-high 13 tackles against Iowa). There wasn't a single game where he failed to register at least five tackles, and eight times, he had at least seven stops.

JRM had at least one tackle for a loss in eight games. The coaches think so highly of him that he's the safety valve if UT can't find a replacement for Johnson in the middle of its defense.

"We all know what Jalen Reeves-Maybin can do," coach Butch Jones told the Daily Beacon's Jonathan Toye. "He has been a model of consistency, continues to really transform his game, transform his leadership skills. But who is going to fill the other linebacker position?"

Hopefully, freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr. or one of the other candidates will fill that role, allowing JRM to stay at his natural spot. If so, there's no reason he can't go from a team leader to one of the best linebackers in the SEC.

All quotes and observations gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information obtained from 247Sports.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.