Tyler Byrd, 6-0, 201 - Byrd was a top ranked corner coming out of high school, but the previous staff quickly moved him to wide receiver out of necessity. As a freshman, Byrd took off, finishing his first season with 535 yards on 33 touches. Although he never found the end zone in that first season, he was phenomenal in that first season. Season two came around and he wasn't exactly healthy...or productive. In year two, although he found the end zone for the first time, he touched the ball six times for 54 yard. Byrd had long showed the desire to return to defense, and this spring he got the chance. Ultimately, things didn't pan out on that side of the ball and before spring ended he was shifted back to offense. Byrd will have to decide to fully buy-in and put for all his effort at some position. He has the speed, the size, and the athleticism to make big plays all over the field, so it's time for the want to.
Marquez Callaway, 6-2, 206 - Callaway emerged as a playmaking receiver last season, finishing with 24 receptions for 406 yards and 5 touchdowns, and for his career the elite athlete has produced 695 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. Callaway had some really lean times last season though too, so consistency is still lacking and it's fair to say he's not yet a polished product, but he did pick up where he left off last season this spring, with 3 receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. Callaway still has a ways to go to emerge as a threat game in and game out, but he's always a threat to strike.
D.J. Henderson, 6-1, 185 - Henderson arrived in Knoxville as a long corner coming out of the JUCO ranks, where he had put up impressive numbers. Unfortunately, he never managed to emerge as a true junior and he received a redshirt. Last season, Henderson played in 11 games, registering six tackles and a forced fumble, but he was ultimately moved to offense. His athleticism could give him a chance at seeing some action at wide receiver this season, but realistically he's probably going to find himself relegated to a reserve role.
Jauan Jennings, 6-3, 211 - Jennings made an impact as a freshman, but he really exploded as a sophomore with 580 yards and seven touchdowns on 40 receptions. Last season was expected to be his best yet, but injury limited him to two games and he only caught three balls for 17 yards. Then, after hoping to play in the final game of the season, an outburst on Instagram when he was told he wouldn't play led then acting head coach Brady Hoke and then athletic director John Currie to remove him from the team. Now, a medical redshirt and second chance later, he'll look to have that big junior season under a new staff. Jennings is an aggressive and athletic player who often makes tough catches, but sometimes fails to make the routine plays. His talent is occasionally derailed by his passion and lack of focus, but when he's locked in he's impossible to stop as evidenced by some of his more outstanding performances. He seems to have his focus back and he appears ready to take his game to a new level if his health is 100%.
Brandon Johnson, 6-2, 200 - Brandon Johnson has been another young receiver who stepped up last season, even if it didn't lead to many red zone targets. He caught 37 passes for 482 yards and a touchdown with a long of 66, showing off some deep threat ability in addition to reliable hands. Johnson has good size and solid speed, allowing him to make tough catches and easy ones alike. He's developed into an increasingly trusted target for the quarterbacks when they need to get the ball out of their hands fast. Johnson needs to do a better job of getting open and making himself available to the quarterback, but he's not bad in that category. It's just an area to improve.
Jacquez Jones, 5-10, 175 - Jones is the shortest of the scholarship receivers on the roster this coming season, but he was very productive in high school and found his way onto the field in five games last season, avoiding a redshirt. How productive was he in high school? He accounted for 3,542 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns on 224 touches in 33 games played. He's not a slow receiver necessarily, but his official time at The Opening regional before his senior season was a 4.62. He's probably more like Pig Howard for anyone trying to find a recent comparison, and if he can show the same kind of toughness that made Howard productive for the Vols, it's reasonable to think he will eventually make his mark on the program. That said, he could be a redshirt candidate this season unless he makes his mark on special teams.
Jordan Murphy, 5-11, 178 - Murphy is one of the most intriguing young players on the roster. Why? Well, most people are going to find themselves intrigued by a player who accounts for 3,302 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns on 237 touches in 27 games over two seasons. Long story short, he did essentially what Jacquez Jones did in 6 fewer games. Murphy certainly plays fast and he is fearless, willing to make catches across the middle or streaking down the field with equal enthusiasm. Last season, he played in seven games, catching one pass for 12 yards after arriving late while sorting out a lingering eligibility issue, which put him behind others when it came to physical development. Now, he'll have a full offseason under his belt and he'll at least have a chance to make some noise on the field in 2018.
Josh Palmer, 6-2, 200 - My pick for the breakout receiver in 2018. He found his way onto the field early and often last season, playing in all 12 games, including six starts, with nine receptions for 98 yards and one carry for 6 yards. In the spring game, he showed big play promise by turning three receptions into 77 yards, a nearly 26 yard per catch average. Palmer had occasional bouts of the drops last season, and that reared it's head again to a lesser degree in the spring game in the fourth quarter, but he is a physical and gifted receiver who is rapidly improving, particularly considering his limited experience prior to a breakout senior campaign. I don't think it will take that long before he starts making his mark with the Vols.
Alontae Taylor, 6-0, 188 - Is he a wide receiver or is he a corner? We don't really know for sure yet, but he did finish spring at corner, so why include him here? Short answer is that the door was left open for him to move back to offense and he was a very dynamic offensive weapon in high school. Taylor was most frequently a quarterback in high school, seeing only limited time at receiver. He finished his high school career with 6,000 rushing yards, 1,746 passing yards, 479 receiving yards, 172 kickoff return yards, and 15 punt return yards. He also accounted for 74 rushing touchdowns, 10 passing touchdowns, 2 receiving touchdowns, and a kickoff return touchdown. Long story short, when he has the ball in his hands, he's dynamic. He wasn't moved to defense this spring because he wasn't making headway as a receiver. Quite the contrary as he was making plays in practice. Instead, it was an effort to find solutions at corner. If Taylor does return to offense, it's reasonable to believe that the staff will find ways to get the ball in his hands when he's on the field. The biggest knock on him right now is that he lacks polish and technique, but that will come along quickly with time at his new position.
Bryce Thompson, 6-0, 182 - A late addition to the class, like Taylor he will probably find himself talked about at corner as well as here. He played both defense and offense in high school, finishing his senior season on offense with 198 touches for 1,999 yards and 35 touchdowns. The bulk of that work came as a runner, but he had 44 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns and is a dynamic weapon as a runner and receiver. In the Shrine Bowl, he was named the Most Outstanding Player with 7 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown, showing off how good he can be as a dedicated receiver. Still, given the need to find answers at the corner position, he will no doubt get a look there as well. Ultimately, he has a lot of upside at receiver but with his size it's certainly possible he could land in the secondary as well.
Cedric Tillman, 6-3, 208 - A late find, Tillman has size and potential as he really only lacks development at this point to be at minimum a productive possession receiver. Last season, he had 37 receptions for 774 yards and 7 touchdowns, a huge leap from his junior season numbers of 8 receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, he went ahead and tossed in a punt return for touchdown for good measure. Tillman really won't be called upon to offer up much more than depth this season, and he appears to be redshirt-bound, but he will offer up a big target for the Vols quarterbacks after some development.
Latrell Williams, 5-11, 185 - Vol fans were rightfully excited about Williams when he arrived on campus, and understandably so for a player who had been timed at a 4.27 in the forty before arriving. Unfortunately, an injury held him back during his true freshman season and he redshirted. Last season, although he was healthy he wasn't back to his old self yet, ultimately appearing in just one game. Throughout the spring, it was reported that the speed appeared to be back, and he finally got a chance to show that speed off on a 35 yard scoring strike from Will McBride late in the spring game, a reception made right after catching a five yard pass. He's still seeking consistency, but he certainly does have the speed and potential to make big plays, and it's likely he'll see playing time throughout the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment