SportsTalk’s Jimmy Hyams and John Wilkerson chatted with former Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona on the radio this afternoon. Mahelona, who is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, is cooking three pigs (one in an underground oven, one on a spit over an open fire, and one in a smoker . . . mmmm), a cow (I’d like to see a cow on a spit), and a bunch of fish to commemorate the event. Nothing says party like roast hog.

Audio is courtesy of Sportsanimal99.com, which has more excellent interviews, including those of defensive end Parys Haralson and offensive linemen Rob Smith, Cody Douglas, and Albert Toeaina.

Here’s a list of former Volunteers and where they’re projected to fall in this weekend’s draft:

• First Round. Cornerback/safety Jason Allen. I’ve been getting a lot of hits from NFL fans looking for information on Allen. He’ll be a solid player at the next level, and although there have been rumors that he’s failed some physicals, all of the hard information I’ve seen is that his injury wasn’t as severe as feared and that he has made a full recovery. Check out the Jason Allen category for more.
• Third Round. Defensive end Parys Haralson and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona.
• Rounds Four and/or Five. Linebacker Omar Gaither, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, offensive lineman Rob Smith, and running back Gerald Riggs.
• Others. Offensive linemen Albert Toeaina and Cody Douglas, wide receivers Chris Hannon and C.J. Fayton, linebackers Kevin Simon and Jason Mitchell, and defensive end Jason Hall.

The 2005 All-SEC team has been announced, and offensive lineman Arron Sears was the only Tennessee Volunteer to make first team.

Second teamers include Jason Hall, Parys Haralson, Justin Harrell, and Kevin Simon.

Jessee Mahelona earned only Honorable Mention.

It’s Senior Day at Neyland Stadium as 27 Tennessee Volunteer football seniors will run through the T for the final time.

Here they are:

Starters on Defense

• Jason Allen
  • Pictures from the Georgia game
  • Thoughts and Prayers for Jason Allen
  • Optimistic News Regarding Allen’s Hip Injury
  • Allen Talks About His Injury
  • Allen Continues to Lead After Injury
  • Allen On Not Playing Against Alabama
• Jesse Mahelona
  • Go Big Orange Flyin’ Hawaiin Style
  • Must See Picture of Mahelona
• Kevin Simon
  • Simon Re-Lives the 2003 Victory Over the Crimson Tide
  • Simon Says Vols Won’t Slip to 3-3
• Parys Haralson
• Jason Hall
• Jason Mitchell
• Omar Gaither

Starters on Offense

• Rick Clausen
  • Erik Ainge Named Starting Quarterback
  • John Pennington on the Volunteer Quarterbacks
  • Clausen Leads the Volunteers to Dramatic Rally in the Valley
  • Pop Quiz. Do These Quotes Describe David Greene, Alex Smith, or . . . Rick Clausen?
  • Friction Between Clausen and the Knoxville Media
  • Clausen’s Rant on the Resignation of Randy Sanders
  • Clausen, Receivers, Special Teams Save the Day Against the Memphis Tigers
  • Mark Burgess on the Career of Rick Clausen
  • Mike Griffith Admits He was Wrong about Clausen
• Gerald Riggs Jr.
  • Gerald Riggs’ Tennessee Career Over
  • Update on Riggs’ Season-Ending Injury
  • Season-Ending Tackle on Riggs Illegal in the NFL
• C.J. Fayton
• Richie Gandy
• Jake Finlayson
• Albert Toeaina
• Cody Douglas

Other Seniors

• Jon Catanzano
• Peter Chang
• Ryan Fusco
• Bill Martin
• Adam Miles
• Jon Poe
• Lester Ransom
• Justin Reed
• Kevin Shipley
• Sam Wantland
• Robert Williams
• Nick Wilson

Tennessee Volunteer senior linebacker Jason Mitchell has 31 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble this season. So what, you say?

He did it with a torn ACL and MCL.

Mitchell’s injury occurred during the Vols’ first game against Alabama-Birmingham, but he didn’t know the extent of it until an MRI in early October showed that the ligaments were torn.

Even then, though, the player that Defensive Coordinator and linebacker coach John Chavis has often referred to as the most talented linebacker he has coached in 26 years chose to continue playing for the struggling 2005 Volunteers, consciously risking his future in the NFL. Mitchell explains:

“The NFL is not guaranteed at all. To play a game at this level and live your dream out is something that you can’t get back. I chose to play this game and play as long as I can.

* * * *

I didn’t want to leave on somebody else’s terms. I wanted to leave when I felt I was ready. Even though it could hurt me in the long run. My love for the game and my love for the teammates and my love for the university kept me going. I just played through it.

As teammate Jason Hall said, “It just shows what kind of person he is and the respect he has for this program.”

Fickle Tennessee fans would do well to remember Mitchell the next time they think about booing or throwing things at the players. You never know the whole story.

Fans will get a chance to show their appreciation for Mitchell, Jason Allen, Gerald Riggs, (Allen and Riggs have both, like Mitchell, had season-ending injuries this year that may impact their draft status), and the other seniors on Saturday’s senior day when the Vols host Vanderbilt.

UPDATE: John Pennington concurs:

Wanted to throw in one note as a salute to Jason Mitchell. Eight games. That’s how many games UT’s linebacker has played since tearing the ACL and MCL in his knee.

Why? Because he loves college football. He loves putting on the orange and white.

The crowd at Neyland Stadium may not be spectacular on Saturday, but that’s a kid that deserves a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd.

If you’re thinking about not going to the game, I would suggest you re-think it. Jason Mitchell deserves all the applause you can give him.

South Carolina Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier is saying that the Tennessee Volunteers should expect a bag full of trick plays this afternoon:

“We’re a pretty loose team,” he said. “It’s not the end of the world if we get beat. They’re the ones that have a little heat on them - oh no, let’s don’t lose to South Carolina.

“There’s probably a little more pressure on their team. We should be loose and let it fly. We can run all of our trick plays. We’ve been saving about 20 of them.”

How will the trick plays fair when they’re run by Gamecocks instead of Gators and when they’re run against the likes of Mahelona, Haralson, Hall, Simon, and Gaither?

Tune in tonight at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN2.

More strategy on the Tennessee Volunteer game against the Florida Gators coming up in about three hours. InsideTennessee.com emphasizes that the Vols’ primary goal on defense is to disrupt the timing between quarterback Chris Leak and his receivers by jamming them at the line, hopefully long enough to allow Mahelona and company to bring down Leak.

College Football News advises Tennessee’s defensive ends Parys Haralson and Jason Hall to slow down of all things and make good, disciplined decisions:

In a normal situation, when the ball starts the other way, a DE can just sprint down the line of scrimmage and trail from behind, but against this offense, the backside DE has to keep his head on a swivel and can’t pursue as vehemently as he’d like. It’s a tough position to be in, and there’s no question that Hall and Haralson can change a game in a heartbeat. It’s just that they’re going to have to understand that playing slower and thinking might be better this week than being aggressive.