Offseason position analysis: Wide receiver
- Wyeth Wilson
- Jun 2, 2015
- 2 min read
For the 2015 season, Wide Receiver U will once again have an abundance of talent.
Tennessee loses none of their main contributors from last season’s receiving arsenal, which was one of the strengths of last season’s team.
All of the Vols’ top ten players in receiving yards will return in 2015 (including tight ends Alex Ellis and Ethan Wolf and running back Jalen Hurd).
Though junior Von Pearson is suspended indefinitely, the Vols possess the talent of Pig Howard, Marquez North, Jason Croom, Josh Malone, and Josh Smith for this fall.
The key for this group this season will definitely be to stay healthy.
Pearson, North, Croom, and Smith all suffered injuries that forced them to miss multiple games in 2014.
But if this unit can stay healthy, 2015 could be a special year for the Tennessee wide outs.
In addition to the plethora of talent returning, UT also adds five-star receiver Preston Williams.
Williams tore his ACL during his senior season of high school, but is reportedly on track to be able to provide immediate help to the Vols receiving core.
Williams is the main question mark of this group, along with the fellow former five-star recruit and current Vols sophomore Malone.
Malone enrolled at Tennessee with lots of hype, but had a bit of a disappointing 2014 season with 23 catches for 231 yards.
This is already a very capable group without Malone and Williams, but if the Vols get valuable production from those two, it puts the Tennessee offense in an even better position.
Though Malone and Williams are the question marks, the key to the season is North.
In 2013, North was rated as a freshman All-American by many publications, but his 2014 season was underwhelming and ended with him being sidelined by a torn labrum.
North’s production dropped from 496 yards on 38 catches during his freshman season to 320 yards on 30 catches during his sophomore season.
Getting North back in the neighborhood of 500 yards this season would be a huge boost for the Vols.
North needs to be a strong second option to the definite number one target for Tennessee, which is Howard.
Howard hauled in 54 passes for 618 yards in the slot receiver position, and will be a large part of whatever success Tennessee’s offense has in 2015.
Overall, it’s apparent that the wide receivers that quarterback Josh Dobbs has at his disposal possess plenty of talent.
If they can live up to their full potential, Wide Receiver U could come back in a big way this season.
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