Vols insider hints at new offensive wrinkle that could help solve one problem for Tennessee
Tennessee Vols junior wide receiver Squirrel White is expected to play on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats despite some injury issues that could linger for the rest of the season. White isn't anywhere close to 100 percent right now. His snap count against Kentucky will likely be limited as a result (White played just 27 […]
Tennessee Vols junior wide receiver Squirrel White is expected to play on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats despite some injury issues that could linger for the rest of the season.
White isn't anywhere close to 100 percent right now. His snap count against Kentucky will likely be limited as a result (White played just 27 of 76 offensive snaps against Alabama two weeks ago).
With White not seeing as many snaps, it creates some opportunities at the slot receiver position for the Vols.
On Friday, VolQuest's Brent Hubbs joined 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will and he pointed out a "potential wrinkle" that we could see from Tennessee over the final month of the season.
Hubbs noted that sophomore tight end Ethan Davis has had some good practices lately, while also pointing out that Davis could be an option to play in the slot for the Vols.
Davis is a former high school wide receiver who could take advantage of some mismatches in the slot.
"He has done a better job of being locked in on the practice field every day with details and getting himself ready to play," said Hubbs while discussing Davis. "I think the other thing is with the injury to Squirrel White, what do you do at the slot spot? You've got Chas Nimrod who can play some slot, but he's not going to play every snap. So where do you go slot wise?"
"Well, you could schematically go Ethan Davis if you want to do some different things. Because he's a former wide receiver in high school, big-bodied guy who's a good athlete that can win if he gets matched up against a linebacker. He can win, physically, if he gets matched up against a slot nickel — if that's what they do from a scheme standpoint. Then obviously he can do some things in the run game. So it is a nice potential wrinkle (for the Vols' offense). It's on Ethan Davis to see how big that wrinkle is. And the last two weeks, it's been a little more significant. He's got four catches in the last two weeks and he played some significant snaps against Alabama. So that is a new element they could bring in to help manage the slot position if Squirrel White is going to be limited the rest of the year."
Davis is a dynamic talent who has big play potential. His athleticism combined with his size (6-foot-5/246 lbs) could make him a matchup nightmare out of the slot.
Tennessee is constantly looking for new wrinkles to add to the offense to throw off opposing defenses. If Davis can handle more slot snaps and thrive in that role, it could be a game-changer for a Vols offense that has struggled for the last month.
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