If there was one thing that seemed to be missing from Tennessee’s offense last season, it was the Vols’ explosive plays of the good old days.
Throughout head coach Josh Heupel’s career, he has showcased plays that can change the course of a game, excite fans and light up the scoreboard. That wasn’t nearly as common last season as Tennessee had to rely on two-tight end sets to protect their struggling offensive tackles instead of three receivers to attack opposing secondaries.
The Vols certainly weren’t impotent last season, but there certainly was not as nearly as many jaw-dropping, offensive plays as Tennessee fans have enjoyed recently, especially when offensive records were falling like raindrops in a hurricane. Looking for some optimism? Heupel seemed quite content with where his Vols were after their first scrimmage on Monday.
“Yeah, I saw some big plays down the football field tonight,” Heupel said. “Young wide receivers, I thought, did a good job in their first opportunity in a scrimmage environment. Went and made plays. So I like what I saw on that tonight, but in early part of spring too.”
Tennessee has the unenviable task of replacing its top three receivers from last season. Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton are oft to the NFL. Then, slot receiver Squirrel White transferred to Florida State. Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb, Nathan Leacock and Nate Spillman also entered the transfer portal. The cupboard may not be bare, but it’s certainly not stuffed to the brim.
“That’s just the landscape of college football,” Heupel said. “As your roster turns over, your young guys got to be ready to learn it, earn it, and go take a job. And once they prove that, our job is to put them in a place where they can go have success. Those young guys have approached it the right way. We’re a long ways away from where we need to be, but if they continue to chop wood every single day, you got a chance.”
The Vols are expected to primarily depend on sophomore Mike Matthews, Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II and redshirt freshman Braylon Staley. All played limited roles last season.
The current crew of receivers will certainly benefit from a more-experienced quarterback. Rising junior Nico Iamaleava has a full season of starting under his belt. He improved throughout the season and should be remarkably better this season.
“Command and control, complete understanding,” Heupel said when asked what makes Iamaleava different from last season. “Some of that’s with checks. It’s controlling your protections, understanding routes and then in the scope of that, being able to put him in different positions because you’ve got that trust in him. But this is a time of growth for him and for everybody that we have on our roster.”
Tennessee doesn’t typically depend on first-year players on offense, whether that’s freshman or transfers. The buzz around Travis Smith, however, has some wondering if he might break that trend.
“He, like our freshman class, the mid-year guys in January, just really mature,” Heupel said. “He’s handled himself extremely well. Accountable in his competitive makeup, how he approaches every single day. Did a great job in the offseason, continuing to grow his body.
“For a young player, has handled what we’ve installed already in the early part, which is a lot. He’s handled it extremely well. And so when you understand what you’re doing, now you can attack how I need to play from snap to the whistle. And he’s got great size, great length, competitive to the catch. And you saw that tonight.”
Smith may need become a factor this season. The Vols might not have a choice. Explosive plays are an important part of Tennessee’s offense. It must find a way to produce them once again if the Vols are to make a real run at a championship.
