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WATCH: Former Florida star DE Jevon Kearse inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•07/23/22
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(Photo by: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Former Florida Gator star Jevon Kearse was one of the most gifted defenders to ever suit up at the school. He went on to have a dominant career with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and punching his ticket to three Pro Bowls during his time there. On Saturday evening, Kearse got inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Check it out.

Nicknamed, “The Freak”, Kearse exploded onto the scene during his first season of playing with the Florida Gators, earning All-SEC freshman honors. His numbers improved throughout the years in college football, and in his third year, he led the team with 7.5 sacks, earning AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kearse also landed on several All-American lists and was named as a finalist for the Butkus Award, the Lombardi Award, and the Chuck Bednarik College Defensive Player of the Year Award.

During his time with the Gators, he racked up 34.5 tackles for loss — ranking 11th on the school’s all-time list. The freakish defensive end also tallied 145 total tackles, 16.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception, one recovered fumble, and 19 pass deflections. Sportswriters from The Gainesville Sun ranked the former Florida great as #16 among the top 100 greatest Gators from the first 100 years of Gator football.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 262-pounds, Kearse was clocked at a blistering 4.58 40-yard dash time at the 1999 NFL Scouting Combine. He also posted a vertical jump of 37 inches. At his Florida pro day, he lowered his 40-yard dash time to 4.43 seconds in the spring of 1999.

Kearse was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 16 overall selection in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. His rookie year, he exploded onto the scene and racked up a rookie-record of 14.5 sacks (leading the AFC) and forced eight fumbles (which led the NFL). The former Gator also had nine pass deflections, while racking up seven tackles for loss. That season, he was edged out for AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors by Warren Sapp. In 2000, Kearse went on to rack up 11.5 sacks for the Titans and in 2001, he recorded 10 sacks. He made Pro Bowl appearances in all three of those seasons for Tennessee.

After suffering an injury in 2002, he would come back in 2003 to tally 9.5 sacks. He spent from 1999-2003 with the Titans, before moving onto the Philadelphia Eagles from 2004-2007. At the end of his career, Kearse wrapped it up with Tennessee, playing there once again in 2008-2009. Once his dominant career was finished in the National Football League, the freakish pass rusher had racked up 74 sacks, 240 tackles, and 26 forced fumbles — establishing himself among the game’s greats.