Why NFL Hall of Famer Richard Seymour will be at Tennessee football game vs South Carolina

It’s common for former Tennessee football players who became NFL greats to appear on the Vols sideline like Peyton Manning and Jason Whitten.

And stars of UT’s 1998 national title team will be on campus this week for Champions Weekend, celebrating the 25th anniversary of that magical season.

But there will be a special guest who didn’t play at UT attending the South Carolina game.

Richard Seymour, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who starred at Georgia, plans to visit the No. 19 Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) when they play South Carolina (2-2, 1-1) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

“Richard Seymour is coming to the game this weekend with his son,” UT defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. “So I’m looking forward to my guys getting a chance to meet him, have a chance to talk to him.”

Seymour remains close to Garner, who coached him at Georgia. And he’s among several defensive linemen who visit Garner at whichever school he's coaching.

Garner has coached 34 NFL Draft picks in 34 years as an SEC assistant coach at Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. Seymour was perhaps his best.

Seymour was a first-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2001. He played in three Super Bowls, made seven Pro Bowl teams and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

Which Tennessee player reminds Garner of Seymour?

On Tuesday, Garner mentioned Seymour’s upcoming visit while praising freshman defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs.

“(Hobbs) reminds me a lot of Richard with his demeanor and his size and his athleticism,” Garner said. “So I’m looking forward to them getting an opportunity to meet each other.”

Hobbs, a 6-foot-4, 290-pounder, was a four-star prospect and the No. 7 defensive lineman in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports composite. He enrolled at UT in January, but he missed spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Hobbs moved inside to defensive tackle and impressed coaches in preseason practice. He earned a spot in the rotation as a freshman, and he's made eight tackles in three games.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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