Everybody panicked over nothing. A week ago, Tennessee seemed to have suffered a major blow at wide receiver with Squirrel White and Mike Matthews both entering the transfer portal. Now, though, the Vols look like they should even be better at the position in 2025 with the players they added.
Four days after Matthews revealed he is staying at UT, the Vols added Alabama Crimson Tide transfer wide receiver Amari Jefferson, according to ON3. Once a four-star recruit out of Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Hamilton County prospect initially flipped from Tennessee to Bama during the 2024 recruiting cycle.
Jefferson committed to Nick Saban originally. Under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, he did not play in 2024. At 6’0″ 197 pounds, he is a two-sport athlete, also playing baseball, which was initially why he committed to the Vols, but it’s unclear whether or not he will play both sports.
What is clear, though, is that Jefferson can be deadly with the ball in his hands. Despite not playing as a freshman, his high school highlight reel shows incredible vision and agility, and he clearly does have speed. That combination should make him deadly for UT.
So what does this mean for the Vols? Well, it’s a safe bet that their wide receiver room, provided everybody stays healthy, should be better in 2025 than they were in 2024. Part of that is they’ll be forced to go to the guys who should have played in 2024 anyway.
White and Bru McCoy were both slowed by injuries this past year, and Dont’e Thornton was also hurt at times. All three are gone, meaning Matthews, Chris Brazzell II and now Jefferson, all healthy, will get the primary first-team reps. Braylon Staley is also still on the roster, and Boo Carter figures to get more looks on offense.
Matthews should be better than McCoy as the go-to wideout simply due to his speed and health. Carter is clearly better than White when it comes to agility and athleticism, and Jefferson has that too. Add in Brazzell as a possession receiver and Staley’s potential, and UT should be fine.
Of course, everybody has to stay health, and Heupel, Joey Halzle and Kelsey Pope have to find the right players in the rotation, but they have a starting point now, and that should lead them to be better than they were this past year. With three scholarship receivers coming in, the depth is back too, so everybody worried over nothing.
