Tennessee fall camp battles: What will the wide receiver pecking order look like?

It’s about that time. In just a couple of weeks, Tennessee will hit the grass once again to open fall camp. That means new faces — and of course — camp battles.

The Volunteers have a couple of intriguing spots on the roster, one of which being wide receiver. The position disappointed last season, but they could be poised for an uptick with former five-star prospect Nico Iamaleava taking over at quarterback. Tennessee has returning experience, a couple of high-profile transfers along with a couple of top prospects entering the depth chart as true freshman.

How will it all look? That’s a big storyline we’ll be following during camp.

The Veterans: Bru McCoy, Squirrel White

There shouldn’t be much change here with these two. Their experience in this offense will be valuable once again for Heupel and Halzle, as both have clear roles and positions within this operation.

Squirrel White will return to his slot position, handling pop screens and hopefully a little more downfield action. We know Joe Milton struggled down the field last season, but we’ve also seen White really able to get loose and make impact plays down the field. With Nico Iamaleava now running the show, it’s going to be interesting to see if this offense can look a little more like the 2022-Hendon-Hooker led attack. Nobody is expecting White to turn into Jalin Hyatt, but it would be nice to add that downfield element back into the offense right off the bat.

McCoy is perhaps a little bit of a wildcard coming off of a gruesome leg injury in the middle of last season. All reports to this point seem positive, however. Assuming that’s the case, McCoy will return to his power receiver role on the outside. He’s been a big part of Tennessee’s screen game, utilizing that big frame as a blocker and ball carrier. McCoy will also give Iamaleava a big-bodied pass catcher, maybe helping out with the losses of veteran tight ends Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles.

The Wildcards: Dont’e Thornton, Chris Brazzell

And now for the lesser known part of the depth chart — but maybe the group with the most immediate upside. Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton returns after an injury-filled first season in Knoxville. Now the 6-5 speedster enters his senior season with the Volunteers with one last shot to make an impact.

Talent has never been the question here, but Thornton simply wasn’t able to settle in due to a couple of injuries — which included as season-ending one on a touchdown catch against Missouri.

Chris Brazzell, who has a similar skillset to Thornton, enters the picture after transferring in from Tulane. After being overlooked as a prospect, Brazzell emerged in a big way last season for the Green Wave. The 6-5, 200 pound receiver caught 44 passes for 711 yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. He now has three seasons of eligibility in Knoxville to develop, and he should be able to make an instant impact.

Can Brazzell or Thornton solidify themself as the second outside option opposite of McCoy? Tennessee typically hasn’t done a lot of rotating at receiver, so that could be a big battle to monitor this fall. The staff does seem to have more depth than ever before though, so perhaps that lack of rotation changes in 2024.

The Experienced Depth: Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod

We saw both of these guys forced into action last season following injuries to McCoy and Thornton. Although the numbers weren’t there for either player, both gained some valuable experience heading into their redshirt sophomore seasons. At least on paper, these two should enter the season as key depth pieces as WR5/6. Once again, it remains to be seen if the staff goes with more of a rotation this season or simply sticks with a top three or four.

Should Webb and Nimrod stick around for 2025, both should have pretty large roles after Thornton and McCoy exit. Nathan Leacock could also find himself in a similar spot in 2025.

The Freshmen: Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley

Two of Tennessee’s top three signees from the class of 2024 enter the fray this fall and both have the ability to make instant impacts, though the depth chart is likely working against them. Mike Matthews, a five-star receiver, already flashed plenty of ability in the Orange and White Game. Staley, a four-star top 75 overall player in the class, seems like a natural fit to slot in behind Squirrel and learn this season.

Can either push for playing time without an injury or two? Based on recent history, that would be a bit of a surprise. It’s been difficult for freshman to find playing time under Heupel, however these are two of the higher-rated prospects that Tennessee has signed under this staff.