Tennessee lands three on ESPN’s list of top 100 all-time college football players based on jersey numbers

Posted by Admin July 5, 2026 NFL

The Tennessee Volunteers have a deep, rich history on the football field. From the days of General Neyland to the eras of Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee has competed for championships, with a number of standouts establishing themselves among the greatest to ever play the game.

A trio of great former Tennessee Vols found themselves on a recent list of the top 100 players by jersey number put together by a panel of ESPN writers. And the results might surprise the newer and/or more casual fans (sorry, Peyton Manning), but the diehards will certainly recognize the entire list.

92) DE Reggie White

Who else? The Minister of Defense was one of the most dominating forces I have ever seen on a football field. There are a handful of players who can claim to have been as physically dominant on the football field at the college and pro level as White. He was of the transcendent level of Lawrence Taylor. I still remember watching him arm toss Dallas OT Larry Allen like a rag doll during a game back in the 1990s. That was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen, and it put on full display just how ridiculously powerful he was.

White racked up an astounding 15 sacks in 1983 to go with 100 combined tackles in his senior year for the Vols. He left Tennessee (32 sacks) and the NFL (198 sacks) as their respective all-time sack leaders.

91) DE Doug Atkins

The Vols have three Pro Football Hall of Famers, and Atkins is the second one to make the list, along with White. The lengthy 6-8 end was an absolute game wrecker during the Vols’ 1951 national championship season. He was a part of the Vols’ suffocating defense that logged 14 shutouts from 1950 to 1952. He earned SEC Player of the Quarter Century from 1950-1975.

Atkins went on to a tremendous career in the NFL from 1953 to 1969. He was a two-time NFL champion with the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears as well as an eight-time Pro Bowler. He was on the NFL 100th anniversary team, as well as the NFL all-1960s team.

57) LB Steve Kiner

Kiner was one of the toughest and most physical players to don the orange and white, which was on display in 1968 against Ole Miss. With a broken wrist, he managed to total 12 tackles and two tackles for loss, as Tennessee blanked Ole Miss 31-0 in Neyland Stadium to wrap up an 8-2-1 regular season. The following season, Kiner left Bear Bryant flummoxed, racking up 14 tackles, five sacks an interception, and a forced fumble in Tennessee’s emphatic 41-14 win over the Crimson Tide.

Kiner, who passed away in April 2025, earned first-team All-American honors in 1968-69 before going on to an eight-year NFL career. He started every game in the Houston Oilers’ run to the AFC Championship Game in 1978, which would be the final game of his career.