Who qualifies as a VFL?

Maybe, it’s time to revisit that question.

In the past, I viewed Vol for Life through a liberal lens. Basically, anyone who said he was a VFL was a VFL. Who was I to check his credentials?

For all I know, my neighborhood is full of VFLs. Some of the neighborhood pets with advanced verbal skills also might claim to be VFLs.

That needs to change.

Vol for Life implies loyalty, consistency, and long-term devotion. It’s forever.

Being a great Tennessee player doesn’t make you a VFL. Neither does scoring a winning touchdown against Alabama. That just makes you part of Tennessee lore.

Somebody might even write a song about you, or one of my literary contributors could compose a poem in your honor. But that doesn’t make you a VFL.

You shouldn’t be able to buy your way into the VFL club, either. Never mind how much money you might donate to UT’s building fund or NIL largesse. You should have to invest more than money to the Vols cause. You should have to put in the time.

You can’t opt out of a bowl game and call yourself a VFL.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t cling to the antiquated idea college football players are supposed to be true to their school. Amateurism has left the building. Athletes play for pay. They play when it’s in their best interest to play.

Should an athlete risk playing in a bowl when his next stop is the NFL? Should he stick with the school that signed him or transfer to a school that can offer more playing time, more NIL money, or both?