It didn’t take long for Tennessee to find a way to honor Derek Barnett, who became the school’s all-time leader in sacks during his final game – a win over Nebraska in the Music City Bowl that wrapped up the 2016 season.
Barnett will be honored on the field at halftime of the Orange and White Game on Saturday, Tennessee athletics director John Currie confirmed in his open letter on Wednesday evening, giving fans an opportunity to show their support for the man who amassed 33 sacks during his three-year career in Knoxville.
Currie also confirmed that Tennessee will be sending a film crew to Philadelphia to follow Barnett around as he attends the NFL Draft next Thursday evening. Barnett is expected to be a first-round pick with projections ranging everywhere from top-10 to late-first round pick.
“[Barnett] is one of several Vols projected to hear his name called during the three-day draft – further proof of the outstanding player development taking place in our football program under Coach Jones,” Currie wrote in his letter.
Approximately six Vols are expected to be draft with Barnett leading the way. Barnett, running back Alvin Kamara, quarterback Joshua Dobbs, cornerback Cam Sutton, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and receiver Josh Malone are among the other players expected to be selected.
