Tennessee’s offense isn’t going to change drastically. That wouldn’t make any sense. However, there might be a slightly different approach to gobbling up yards and points this season.
“I think we have elite run-after-the-catch ability,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said as the Vols opened up preseason camp on Tuesday. “You have different types of guys (at receiver).”
That’s putting it mildly. Halzle cited sophomore Squirrel White as a shifty player who can turn a short pass into a long gain. Senior Bru McCoy, perhaps the Vols’ most talented receiver, is 220 pounds and can run like a “linebacker” according to Halzle. Then, there’s junior speedster Dont’e Thornton Jr., who is 6-foot-5 and rangy enough to make jump-ball receptions. And defenses had best not forget senior Ramel Keyton, who certainly showed he can make plays consistently last season.
Those receivers can make things much easier on quarterback Joe Milton, who seems to excel on shorter passes than his predecessor Hendon Hooker. It’s become cliche, but the Vols’ coaches seem intent on getting its receivers open in space and that doesn’t necessarily mean deep downfield.
Tennessee receivers have seen what hard work can do. Former Vol Jalin Hyatt became a Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s best receiver. He admittedly was lost in 2021. Hyatt transformed himself in one offseason.
“It was completely the way he approached the game,” Halzle said.
Halzle said that Hyatt’s approach has carried over to this offseason even though he’s currently setting speed records with the New York Giants. Halzle said it’s rare not to see a receiver in UT’s facility catching countless passes or running extra routes.
The newfound dedication to being a great receiver can actually be traced back to former Vol Velus Jones, who is now with the Chicago Bears. Hyatt was surpassed by Jones before the 2021 season and was determined not to let another opportunity pass by.
That is all good for Milton. He may have the strongest arm in the nation, but he’s not going to turn down a screen pass that can pick up 80 yards. Moreover, the senior has proven he is adept at leading receivers over the middle in order to set them up to make longer gains.
“That’s been a big focus of our off-season is we are who we are, but we’ve got some guys with some specific skill sets,” Halzle said. “That’s where we feel like our job as a staff is to take those skillsets and let them show them off on Saturdays. So, a lot of it has gone into ‘What’s good for this specific guy?’ Not just who we are? How do we get him in a situation that benefits his skill set, and we’ll play to that as well?’”
In his first year as a coordinator, Halzle said he has already learned plenty from the Vols’ ultimate offensive guru, head coach Josh Heupel.
“Two things, and they almost sound a little bit contradictory, is one: he doesn’t stray from who he is, he knows who he is, he knows who we are,” Halzle said. “He’s going to push that. He’s going to make sure that that’s the way it’s handled. But he doesn’t typecast him so much that he doesn’t allow himself to think of new things, creative things, and then also, like I was saying, being specific to players.
“He always asked the question: does that work for him?…Is that the right route for him? Is he good at that? Does someone else need to go there or does the whole thing need to get canned? So, he makes you think of the actual players and not just the plays. He’s going to stay true to who he is, but he’s going to make sure what we’re doing what makes sense with the guy that’s standing there on the field, because if they’re not ready to do it or they’re not capable of doing it, it doesn’t matter how good the design is, it’s not going to work.”
With Tennessee’s current receiver group, there should be plenty of plays that work. Perhaps more than even during the Vols’ record-breaking season in 2022.
