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Vols' Thompson to enter NFL draft
Posted: Thursday January 06, 2000 11:02 AM
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee All-America linebacker Raynoch Thompson has told his coaches he will give up a possible final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Thompson, a Butkus Award finalist this season, is a senior. But because he was a partial academic qualifier his freshman season, he could qualify for an extra year of eligibility by graduating within four years of enrollment. Volunteers assistant head coach and defensive coordinator John Chavis said Thompson, the team's leading tackler the past two seasons, will be missed. "Raynoch has always had tremendous instincts and been a quick learner," Chavis told The Knoxville News-Sentinel. "Anyone who has seen him play the last two years knows what he has meant to our defense." Thompson had 94 tackles in 12 games this season, including seven in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Nebraska. He had 95 tackles in the Vols' 13-game undefeated national championship season in 1998.
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