When it comes to receiving production, Tennessee arguably returns more than anyone else in the country. That's the good news, and when it comes to the wideouts they return 271 receptions for 3,904 yards, and 22 touchdowns for their careers. They've also combined for 31 carries for 219 yards and a touchdown. Solid returning production, but it's also a level of production that 13 programs exceeded just last season, including three of the four playoff teams. Even if you go ahead and include the running backs and tight ends, three teams finished with more yardage, three with more completed passes, and 32 teams with more passing touchdowns, so you can see how on paper this returning production maybe doesn't measure up in some ways. That said, the Vols return every start at tight end, running back, and wide receiver from last season and that experience is usually a great indicator of improvement. When it comes to wide receiver, there are five very important names to know.
Jauan Jennings is a clear fan favorite, but he's also the most productive returning receiver with 87 career receptions for 1,184 yards and 10 touchdowns over his career. While last season wasn't necessarily the one he was no doubt looking for, he was plenty productive in his return from injury and a brief parting of the ways with the team. A high school dual-threat quarterback, he has shown off his running ability as well as passing a couple of touchdowns over his time with the Vols. He is a Swiss Army knife as an offensive weapon and the man fans and teammates call "a dog" will no doubt look to make his final season in Knoxville the best yet. All indications from spring were that Jennings was making some appearances with the quarterbacks as well, so maybe we'll see him return to being used creatively.
Marquez Callaway has been a big play waiting to happen for the Vols for the last two seasons. He's averaging 16.3 yards per catch for his career. He's also been an excellent punt returner for the Vols with 29 returns for 389 yards and 2 touchdowns. If there's been one small criticism of Callaway, it might be turning his big receptions into points as he hasn't always been able to turn those long balls into points, but he's among the fastest options for the Vols and a nightmare for defensive backs to cover consistently. Speaking of consistency, though, that's something that Callaway will need to add to his arsenal if he wants to have a breakout season. He has disappeared somewhat for stretches over the last two seasons, and he's only got the only last chance to prove himself to the NFL.
Josh Palmer went from a relative afterthought as a true freshman when he averaged just shy of 11 yards per reception to playmaker as a sophomore when he averaged 21 yards per reception. While his 23 receptions last year fell just shy of two per game, he'll have a chance to take a big jump in consistency heading into his junior campaign. Palmer may very well be the fastest receiver on the team (although Jordan Murphy may have something to say about that), and he's certainly got the best mix of length and speed on the roster. He just has to take those tools and turn them into more plays made because he sometimes seems to lose focus on making the catch in favor of worrying about what comes next.
Brandon Johnson has quietly been Mr. Efficient for the wide receivers the last three seasons, whether his opportunities have increased or decreased. He has good hands and makes sure to secure the ball before worrying about yards after the catch. His 58 career receptions have only gone for an average of 12.2 yards per catch and one touchdown, but he's not necessarily being looked to for big plays as much as his reliable hands to help move the chains. If the quarterback and offensive line situations improve, so should the number of passes to go around as a direct correlation. Johnson will be looking to make the most out of every pass that comes his way.
I rarely suggest a player needs to have a big season, but I'm going to go ahead and say the time has come for this wideout to show some consistency to go with his own big play ability. Jordan Murphy might be the only receiver with the ability to claim more speed than Palmer, and in fact, he at one time was claiming a 4.3 to 4.4-range forty. With a career-long reception of 50 yards and a career-long rush of 59, there's obviously no question that he can break big plays. He has to be able to do it more than occasionally, however, and since he only averaged 1.2 touches per game last year he needs to prove he can become a bigger factor.
These are probably the top five right now, but another veteran receiver will look to reclaim his past form for the Vols. Tyler Byrd exploded onto the scene for the Vols, providing 535 all-purpose yards as a true freshman. Unfortunately, he's only had 74 yards since then, even though those limited opportunities have produced a couple of touchdowns. Byrd has the size and speed to make big plays, but it's unclear what exactly has held him back since that freshman season. Obviously, the overall situation regarding the program has been far from ideal, and that could certainly be one reason he's only had six touches in the last two seasons, but Byrd has also seemingly become a less confident player. He has all the talent you could ask for and his two receptions for 50 yards was a decent sign in the spring game, but that positive sign needs to result in some gameday production.
After those six, we run pretty dry on experience. Jacquez Jones is sort of the old dude after the top six scholarship guys. He has technically appeared in a few games during his freshman season, but he got a medical redshirt before registering any statistics. Jones was a productive high school player at Clearwater High in Florida and had a good senior season. If he is healthy and picks up the offense well, he has the tools to be a productive member of the receiving corps, as evidenced by his three receptions for 44 yards in the spring game. However, things did have gotten more crowded and at least this season opportunities could be difficult to come by.
Cedric Tillman was a late addition to the 2018 recruiting class, a discovery for the staff from Nevada who had a few offers but largely he'd had a somewhat quiet recruitment due to him not really bursting on the scene until he was a senior. Tillman has excellent size at 6-3, 212 and will hopefully learn to use that size to produce for the Vols at a high level. He redshirted last year after appearing in four games, catching one pass for a loss of three yards. This spring, he had a nice 19-yard reception but he's honestly going to have a tough time being more than a rotation receiver at best this season.
The top receiver recruit for the Vols last cycle was Ramel Keyton, who had a highly productive prep career despite missing half of his senior season with injury. He has good size at 6-2, 185 and at times this spring showed off a skill set that could allow him to make an impact this season. Although his spring game stats weren't particularly impressive, they should have been better than they ended up being. Keyton is probably the best candidate to steal minutes from players like Byrd and Murphy, although don't expect either older player to make it easy on the freshman.
Jerrod Means could easily be called the Vols man of mystery because I don't think anyone really knows what to expect from him. A big-bodied receiver at 6-2, 212, the true freshman was a one-time North Carolina commitment who saw his recruitment cool off following an injury that cost him a chunk of his senior season. Means has reportedly run a 4.4-forty, and he has certainly run a 4.61-forty at an Opening regional. He also had a ridiculous yard per reception average as a senior before getting hurt, averaging 24.2 yards per catch. There have been some reports that he has impressed since getting on campus, but route running was a concern coming out of high school and I'd venture a guess that a redshirt season is in order.
I could go walk-on by walk-on at wide receiver, but there's almost no point. There's simply no realistic chance that any of them will be able to break through to even a minor depth role. Richard Mize Jr. and Ramsey Hailey have been around for a bit. Mize is a former high school quarterback who has moved to wideout with the Vols and Hailey has recently moved to receiver from defensive back. Grant Frerking, an entrepreneur who runs his own business in addition to playing football and going to college, came to the Vols as a tight end but his length has made him a nice asset to the receiver group. Tanner Dobrucky was at running back this spring but has now slid to wide receiver. JT Siekerman played receiver in football in high school before joining the Vols in addition to playing baseball in Douglasville. Newcomer Isaiah Montgomery has good size at receiver and has some good film showing decent hands and speed, but like almost any freshman and especially any freshman walk-on, he's going to need time to develop.
Up next are the tight ends, where two true freshmen are likely to be heavily relied upon behind senior Dominick Wood-Anderson while a veteran looks to mark his territory on a top reserve role.
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