People are always curious about the newcomers on the roster, and when it comes to walk-ons people rarely know much about them. While I can't share all the details about them with you, here's what I can find regarding the least heralded additions to the roster every year.
Joe Doyle - Arguably this talented punter is one of the best known newcomers among the those relatively close to Knoxville as he had made a name for himself during his time at Farragut High. He was also the only punter in the 2017 cycle to be invited to both the Under Armour and U.S. Army All-American games, opting to participate in the Under Armour event. He was a captain for Farragut for his last two seasons with the team and was a 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Semi-Finalist as a punter. He was all-state and in the 2016 state championship game he hit both a 42 yard field goal and a 60 yard punt, showing off his versatility. He was ranked as the #6 punter in the class by Chris Sailer Kicking and #5 by Kohl's Professional Camps (specialist camps). To the best of my knowledge, his career long punt was a 72 yarder as a sophomore. He should be considered the heir apparent to senior punter Trevor Daniel.
Nick Humphrey - Humphrey is probably not a guy many would expect to walk on with the Volunteers, but it actually makes a bit more sense that one might expect. Humphrey was brought in as a linebacker to join the Vols, and his recruitment was a little slow to take off. That probably had something to do with him shedding weight after the football season each year to continue is wrestling career, where he placed in the state. Then there was his baseball career in high school as well. Oh, and for good measure he was named to the all-region offense as a running back and the Monroe County Region Defensive Player of the Year. You know, nothing special. He racked up 1,554 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, caught two passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns, and added on 132 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, an interception, and two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown. He holds he record at his high school for career tackles with 273 over three seasons. Even if he never plays a down for the Vols, he will be a valuable scout team addition.
Cooper Melton - Another player some of the Tennesseans will recognize, Melton really made a name for himself with his play on defense versus one Tee Higgins, who Vol fans will recognize as a big fish who got away to Clemson. In the upset win against Oak Ridge, Melton had 7 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown and had an interception while defending Higgins. Melton also had four tackles in the game. Melton finished his career at Walker Valley High with 146 receptions for 2,281 yards and 16 touchdowns, 119 tackles with 5 for a loss, 5 interceptions, 6 passes defended, and 2 fumble recoveries. Melton is definitely still on the raw side as a receiver, but his talent is very apparent and he has the physical tools with strong coaching to become a contributor for the Vols down the road, not because they need him but because he's that good.
TJ Minnifee - Minnifee may have a bit of name recognition with fans, but he also had some interest from a school like South Carolina. Minnifee was a 2-star outside linebacker recruit on Rivals and 247Sports, but he returned to his more natural position of defensive end for his senior campaign. Minnifee certainly appears to have the growth potential to play end, and that seems to be the plan for the athletic defender. His journey through positions was in part due to a move from Hillwood High to Wilson Central, which led to him going from defensive end to outside linebacker and finally back to end.
Richard Mize Jr. - The undersized quarterback's numbers don't jump out at you at face value, having thrown for 3, 221 yards on 54.2% completion percentage with 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, but it's not fair to evaluate Mize just on what he does with his arm. That's because he tacked on 1,497 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns with his legs. He played a bit of defense as well and even returned a punt as a senior. Mize was a captain for his team as well as the starting quarterback as a junior and senior, attending Calvary Christian in Clearwater. The Tampa native is a pretty fluid athlete and could be a candidate for a move to slot receiver or running back in the future.
Jake Powers - This Memphis native is another player who did a bit of everything in high school and did it fairly well. Powers threw two passes in high school, completing both for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 43 times for 283 yards and 6 touchdowns. On offense, he primarily played wide receiver, catching 75 balls for 1,227 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tennessee brought him in with an eye on him playing defense, where he had 75 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and 16 passes defended in two seasons. He also handled some return duties, returning 6 kicks for 86 yards but 12 punts for 23.1 yards and a touchdown. With a more defined focus on the field at Tennessee, it will be interesting to see how he develops. At worst, he has the size and ability to make the starters work each week on the scout team.
Seth Washington - Washington might be the most intriguing addition to the class, walk-on or otherwise. This 3-star quarterback was ranked very similarly to scholarship addition Will McBride, but due to an injury plagued senior season his recruitment never quite took off like it was expected to. Despite offers to UTEP, Louisiana-Lafayette, New Mexico State, and North Texas, Washington elected to walk on with the Volunteers. The Long Horn State native passed for 3,736 yards and 46 touchdowns to 20 interceptions over two seasons while also running for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns as a junior. Washington was typically ranked as a dual-threat quarterback and was an All-Southwest Prep Conference honoree as a junior and senior. If he is healthy, his development will be a story worth tracking as he could potentially compete alongside Will McBride for playing time in the future.
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