University of Tennessee Athletics
Barnett: Grantland National Rookie Of Year
December 13, 2014 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee freshmen defensive end Derek Barnett has named named the National Rookie of the Year by Grantland after his breakout season. Barnett posted 20.5 TFLs and 10 sacks in his debut campaign.
Here's what Grantland wrote about the Nashville native:
Tennessee played 23 true freshmen this season, most in the nation by far, and 10 of them wound up starting multiple games against a schedule that included Oklahoma, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Missouri. (The Vols opened with seven true freshman starters against Mizzou, constituting nearly a third of the lineup.) In Barnett's case, though, the playing time wasn't a product of necessity: He was Tennessee's best edge rusher right out of the gate, surpassing Jadeveon Clowney's SEC mark for sacks by a freshman with 10 on his way to finishing fourth nationally with 20.5 tackles for loss. Opposing coaches noticed, giving Barnett a second-team All-SEC nod, and he seems bound for plenty more recognition in the near future.
On Friday, Barnett racked up his second Freshman All-American honor in as many days as he was recognized by Scout on Friday, a day after 247Sports honored him as well. Barnett was named to First Team Freshman All-American Team by Scout.
Barnett has also collected All-SEC Second Team accolades from the Associated Press and the league's coaches in addition to being a member of the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Barnett led all freshmen in the SEC with 20.5 TFLs, which ranks fourth nationally among all players. He also posted 10.0 sacks, second in the SEC among freshmen and tied for 13th nationally among all players. Barnett set Tennessee records for most TFLs and sacks by a freshman, more than doubling both records. Barnett also led all true freshmen in the SEC in tackles with 69, the third-most by a Tennessee true freshmen in history. Barnett had 18.0 TFLs in SEC games, the most of any player in the league.
Also from Grantland, they recognized freshman running back Jalen Hurd for "Best Campus Lyfe Haircut"
Here's what Grantland wrote about Hurd:
I admit, I didn't think it was possible to unseat Nebraska wide receiver Kenny Bell, whose gleefully untamed fro had worn the crown for three years running. But I didn't count on two things: One, Bell abruptly shaved his frantic locks before the season, spawning much disappointment across the web, and two, Hurd arrived in Knoxville straight from an All-4-One video circa 1994. Hurd is a big, physical runner with a likely NFL future, and you know his dorm room smells amazing.
