The 2000s
Casey Clausen (2000-03)
Nicknamed the “Ice Man” for his ice cold nature in road games, Casey Clausen still has the best road record as a starting quarterback in Tennessee history. Clausen’s Vols were an astounding 14-1 on the road when he started, and his overall 34-10 record as a starter is second only to Peyton Manning. Clausen helped the Vols win the SEC East in 2001 and was an All-SEC performer in his career. Clausen wasn’t the flashiest of quarterbacks, but he still managed to finish high up in most of Tennessee’s record books and have a successful college career. Clausen’s 9,707 career passing yards are still second only to Manning, as are his 75 career passing touchdowns.
Erik Ainge (2004-07)
Immediately following Clausen was Erik Ainge, and if not for injuries, Ainge might have surpassed Clausen’s career marks in several categories. Ainge still holds Tennessee’s record for most completions in a season with 325 in his senior year in 2007, and he’s third all-time in school history in passing yards (8,700), touchdowns (72), and total completions (733). As a freshman, Ainge missed the rest of the season after going down with injury against Notre Dame, but that 2004 team wound up winning the SEC East. Ainge would start every game of the 2007 season, and the Vols once again won the division that year s
