Breaking: Edge rusher named highest-rated Tennessee football player by Pro Football Focus.

In recent years, Tennessee football has drawn in some outstanding players. Prior to the last few seasons, it was one thing to bring in exceptional talent and have them grade out as elite players.

Since its launch, Pro Football Focus has listed the players on each SEC squad that are rated the highest. Derek Barnett, an edge rusher, is Tennessee’s highest-rated player in the PFF era.

Barnett totaled 131 tackles throughout his collegiate career, including 33 sacks, 52 tackles for a loss, and one interception. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the fourteenth overall pick after he shattered Reggie White’s record for career sacks.

Since the 2017 NFL Draft, just one Tennessee player has been selected higher than Barnett. The Chicago Bears selected offensive lineman Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft—the only other first-round selection made after Barnett.

That was insufficient for him to be ranked #1 among the best SEC players of the PFF era. Although Barnett is ranked best in Tennessee, he is ranked fourteenth among SEC opponents of the Vols. He’s ahead of South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw and Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

With a 96.0 grade, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is one point better than Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry as the highest-rated player in the SEC.

Barnett is the sole edge rusher/defensive end on this list, which makes him the highest-rated defensive end in SEC history during the PFF era. Defensive tackles or defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, Jordan Elliott, and Myles Garrett are three other prominent defensive players.

If edge rusher James Pearce Jr. plays up to the buzz he has been receiving in mock drafts and forecasts, he might surpass Barnett’s rating this season.

This fall, Pearce, a junior, is anticipated to emerge from Rocky Top as one of the nation’s most formidable edge rushers. He is predicted to be among the top rushers in college football. On August 31, the Vols take on Chattanooga to begin the 2024 season.