Adams: 'Hit' told 1998 Vols they had QB

(Editor Note: This is the second in a series of columns commemorating the 10th anniversary of Tennessee's 1998 national championship in football. Fred White, who played strong safety on that team, offers his insight on the team at the end of spring practice 10 years ago).

Tennessee players realized before their first practice the spring of 1998 would be different.

In the previous spring and preseason practices, quarterbacks and wide receivers wore green jerseys, meaning they were off limits to contact. But that spring, no one would wear a green jersey.

There were a couple of obvious reasons for the change. National champion Nebraska had physically dominated the 1997 Vols in the Orange Bowl. Moreover, UT had lost a number of key players, including quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker Leonard Little.

It would be a spring for proving yourself and for claiming starting positions. The competition had to be intense.

"People were saying we would be an 8-4 team at best," White said. "I remember the secondary was supposed to be the weak link. Nobody knew what we would do."

Most importantly, no one knew what new quarterback Tee Martin would do. The team found out that spring.

And it found out on one hit.

In White's mind, nothing that happened in spring practice was as significant as The Hit. White still sees the play vividly in slow motion.

It occurred in an early spring scrimmage on the practice field, not in Neyland Stadium. It began with Martin faking a handoff and dropping back to pass.

The drama increased when Martin decided to run. As White watched Martin take off around left end, he saw linebacker Al Wilson set his sights on the quarterback.

Long before Wilson became an All-American or almost singlehandedly wrecked Florida's offense in the championship season, his reputation was established on the practice field. He was dangerous if you had a football under your arm.

"If you could take a lick from Al Wilson, you could take a lick from anybody," White said. "That's one of those licks you don't want to take. He hits with bad intentions.

"You would see this guy flying all over the field. He brought energy. A lot of people say he was a great leader. He was. But it wasn't always what he said. He led by example."

Wilson set that example in practice. He played the game at one speed. And he didn't slow down for anyone, not even his quarterback.

The Vols knew Martin was much stronger and more athletic than your average quarterback. But they didn't know if he were Al Wilson strong.

"You knew the lick was coming," White said. "As soon as contact was made, I thought, 'Man, we might have just lost our quarterback.' "

The high-speed collision put Martin on the ground. It didn't keep him there. He popped up and jogged back to the huddle.

"When he bounced back up, we knew we had our quarterback," White said.

Wilson provided confirmation.

Said White: "I remember Al said, 'We don't need to hit him anymore. He's battle tested.' "

So was the team.

"Coming out of spring practice, looking at our whole team - the offensive line, running backs, receivers, everybody - I felt like I had played against the best," White said. "I couldn't play against anybody better."

The 1998 season would prove him right.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.