Best Tennessee football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore: From Peyton Manning to Eric Berry

With only four two-time All-Americans and three national award winners since 1980, Henderson and Eric Berry, the Tennessee football players to accomplish both, should be shoo-ins here. However, three players who don’t fit those criteria are too special, so we only had one spot for one of them. Berry, an inspiration after beating Leukemia to return to the NFL, gets the nod.

A three-year starter at safety, Berry was a huge reason for the Vols’ most recent SEC East title in 2007. As a freshman, he returned seven turnovers, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries, for a total of 277 yards and a touchdown. The next year, he was a bright spot in a bad season, picking up eight and a half tackles for a loss, and seven interceptions for a return of 265 yards.

By his junior year, it was almost certain he would break the NCAA record for turnover return yardage. However, new head coach Lane Kiffin brought in his father, Monte Kiffin, to run the defense, and in that Cover-2 scheme, he played more like a linebacker that year. As a result, he only had two interceptions, but he also had a forced fumble and seven tackles for a loss.

Such versatility improved his profile and earned him the Jim Thorpe Award. He left after his junior year. Both Berry and Henderson played for three years, although Henderson stayed for his senior year, Berry gets the nod because he should have won the Thorpe twice. Malcolm Jenkins robbed him of it in 2008. He was in contention both years, though, and that matters.