Relive Al Wilson’s best UT games as he enters College Hall of Fame
Al Wilson, the heart of the defense on Tennessee's 1998 national title team, will be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
Wilson, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, will be the Vols' 25th member and the first since Peyton Manning in 2017. That's the most of any SEC school and the sixth most nationally.
Wilson was a ferocious linebacker, a team captain and a winner. During his career from 1995-98, UT went 45-5 overall and 29-3. The Vols won two SEC titles and a national championship.
Wilson had a hand in all of it. Here are five of his most memorable games for various reasons, listed chronologically:
1995: Breakout performance against South Carolina
South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill had thrown 163 passes without an interception — at the time, the second-longest streak in SEC history. But on Oct. 28, 1995, the Vols picked him off three times in a 56-21 rout.
Wilson, the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee out of Jackson Central-merry, had a breakout performance in his eighth game of his freshman season. He made seven tackles and a diving interception of a deflected Taneyhill pass.
It was one of the first among several dynamic defensive plays in Wilson's career.
1996: Quiet impact in shadow of Peyton Manning to beat Georgia
On Oct. 12, 1996, Peyton Manning had one of his finest performances, passing for 371 yards in a 29-17 win over Georgia. But on the defense, Wilson was all over the field as a first-year starter making his first trip between the hedges.
It set a trend where Wilson quietly dictated the game while his quarterback gained the limelight — first Manning and then Tee Martin.
Wilson had 13 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble as the Vols won their sixth straight over Georgia during a dominant decade in the series. He caused eight fumbles in his career and recovered a fumble in the Citrus Bowl win to cap that 1996 season.
1997: Halftime speech cements Wilson as all-time leader
Wilson has often said that he became a team leader during his 1997 junior season, and his locker room speeches were legendary. The most famous came at halftime of the 1997 SEC championship game.
With UT trailing Auburn 20-10, Wilson challenged his teammates nose-tonose and wrecked the locker room. They responded to rally for a 30-29 win for the Vols' first SEC title of the championship game era.
Wilson didn't fill the stat sheet like he did in regular-season wins during his first ALL-SEC campaign.
But his presence in the middle helped UT hold Auburn to minus-15 yards rushing. And his leadership was credited with kickstarting the Vols' comeback.
1998: Best game came in epic win over Florida
In one of the most memorable wins in UT history, Wilson had his best performance. He had 12 tackles and a schoolrecord three forced fumbles in a 20-17 win over No. 2 Florida.
Wilson made goal-line stops, hustled downfield to strip the ball from receivers and stayed in the face of Florida quarterbacks all night.
He blasted Jesse Palmer on a blitz on a key play in overtime, which led to Florida's missed field goal to end the game.
It was UT'S biggest regular-season win of the modern era because it paved the way for an undefeated season and national championship.
1998: Final game earned national championship
Wilson was a consensus All-american and a Nagurski Award finalist as a senior despite playing through shoulder, groin and ankle injuries. He gutted through one last performance in the national title game.
Wilson had a team-high nine tackles as UT held Florida State to eight threeand-out series and only 253 yards of total offense.
The Vols won 23-16 to capture the national title and finish one of the best careers in program history.
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @Adamsparks.