Kahlil McKenzie (99) tackles a Ohio ballcarrier. The Ohio University Bobcats visited the University of Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in a non-conference NCAA football game on Saturday September 17, 2016. KNOXVILLE — When Tennessee started 2-3 last season, the campus and surrounding area weren’t exactly the happiest places to be.
Fast forward a year and the 5-0 Volunteers, fresh off a streak-ending win against Florida and Hail Mary miracle at Georgia, are the toast of the town.
And whether it’s in public or on social media, the players are getting plenty of congratulations and attaboys from their fans.
“You get a solid amount of it,” defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie said Tuesday. “You get the good jobs and the thank yous and, ‘You guys are doing a great job.’ It’s cool that people appreciate you. You get some people, it looks like they’re about to break down into tears.
“It’s cool to see that people care that much, especially a guy from California. College football, high school football and even the NFL, people aren’t really out there stopping football players, caring too much about (saying), ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this,’ or ‘Great job.’