The Players Tribune, an outlet that publishes the stories and thoughts of athletes, gives players the opportunity to put some of their experiences in their own words after being written about for years by the media.
Former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs took his opportunity to say goodbye to Tennessee in a post that was published on Tuesday morning.
In the lengthy goodbye-to-UT post, Dobbs goes into vivid detail about his experiences before and during his time at Tennessee. He dwells on Tennessee’s dramatic victory against Georgia in the 2016 season, a game that was won by the Vols when Dobbs heaved a last-second Hail Mary into the end zone that was caught by Jauan Jennings to give Tennessee a 34-41 victory over the Bulldogs.
“We had gone over this very scenario,” Dobbs wrote. “Every week in practice, Coach Jones would have us run through various situational plays, like Hail Marys. You never know when you’re going to need a play like that, but eventually you will. So we were ready.”
Dobbs also told the story of Butch Jones and former offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian visiting him in Alpharetta, Ga., before Signing Day in 2013.
“My parents and I talked with them for a while,” he wrote. “After about an hour, I excused myself and went upstairs to finish studying for a major exam. When I came back down an hour later, the coaches were still there, talking up the Volunteers to my parents. They stayed so long I almost thought they were going to spend the night and drive me to Knoxville themselves.”
Dobbs went on to thank many of people who made his time in Knoxville memorable, shared memories his first few games as a freshman in 2013 when he was pressed into action following the injury to Justin Worley, and described his time in Knoxville using a roller coaster metaphor.
“It’s been a thrilling ride, with some ups and some downs,” he wrote. “And I’m sad it’s coming to an end — like any kid on his favorite roller coaster.”
