MOBILE, Ala. — Tennessee seniors Todd Kelly Jr., Evan Berry, Trevor Daniel and Ethan Wolf were named to the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List on Thursday.
Offensive linemen were not included in this year’s watch list and will continue to be evaluated as the season progresses.
The 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl week officially begins on Tuesday, Jan. 23, and concludes with the 69th game on Jan. 27 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game will feature a live broadcast on NFL Network at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The Vols have a rich history of standout performances in the Senior Bowl with over 120 participants in the top collegiate all-star game since 1951, including Senior Bowl MVPs Steve DeLong (1965), Alvin Harper (1991), Charlie Garner (1994), Erik Ainge (2008) and Robert Ayers (2009).
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs and cornerback Cameron Sutton led the South Team to a 16-15 victory in the 2017 Senior Bowl and parlayed their performances into NFL careers a few months later after both being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kelly had a career year in 2016, posting a team-high 71 tackles (49 solo) in 12 games at safety. He also had one sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and four passes defended. Kelly’s eight career interceptions are the most among all players on the current roster. He was named to the watch list for the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Wuerffel Trophy. Kelly also earned a nomination to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team on July 10.
Berry’s nomination comes just a day after he was named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team. The Georgia native earned Athlon Preseason All-America honors earlier this summer and was also a 2016 Coaches Second Team All-SEC Selection after averaging 32.9 yards on 14 kick returns, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown at South Carolina on Oct. 29. In 2016, he also tallied 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. As a sophomore in 2015, he ranked first in the NCAA with a 38.3-yard kickoff return average and was named a First Team All-American by Walter Camp, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. For his career, Berry has returned 49 kicks for 1,677 yards, a UT-record 34.2-yard average and four touchdowns. His 34.2-yard career kickoff return average is the best mark of any current player in the NCAA, regardless of division. Berry is also likely to break Tennessee’s all-time record for kickoff return yards this year as he enters the season just 177 yards shy of Willie Gault’s program record of 1,854.
On top of being named to the Senior Bowl Watch List and his Preseason All-SEC accolades, Daniel is also on the preseason watch list for the 2017 Ray Guy Award, awarded annually to the nation’s top punter. In 2016, Daniel posted a 44.6-yard average with 28 of his 70 punts inside the 20, 29 fair catches and 21 punts of 50 or more yards. His 44.6-yard average ranked third among SEC punters and his 70-yard punt against South Carolina was the longest in the SEC in 2016. Daniel was a candidate for the Ray Guy Award in both 2015 and 2016. Daniel’s 45.1-yard career punting average ranks fourth among active NCAA punters, regardless of division.
Wolf is also member of the Mackey Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. He totaled 21 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns in 2016. Wolf had 23 receptions for 301 yards and two scores in 2015 and tallied 23 grabs for 212 yards as a true freshman in 2014. For his career, the 6-6, 258-pounder has 67 receptions for 752 yards and four touchdowns, while making 34 starts and appearing in 37 games. He ranks fifth in Tennessee history among tight ends with 752 receiving yards and is closing in on Jason Witten (797) and Luke Stocker (956).
The Big Orange begins the 2017 season in less than two weeks with a showdown against ACC foe Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Labor Day (Sept. 4) at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will feature an 8 p.m. ET broadcast on ESPN.
The Vols’ home opener is slated for Sept. 9 against Indiana State, with kickoff set for 4 p.m. Tickets for that contest are still available. Fans can purchase tickets on AllVols.com or by calling or visiting the Thompson-Boling Arena box office (1-800-332-VOLS).
-UT Athletics
