LOOK: Vol receiver gets massive pre-season accolade

College football season is drawing closer but we still have a couple of months to go before the best time of year is officially here. And possibly the best and worst thing about these days of waiting is all of the speculation about how things will go for each team in the coming year. Predictions […]

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Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA;  Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) scores a touchdown past Purdue Boilermakers cornerback Jamari Brown (7) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

College football season is drawing closer but we still have a couple of months to go before the best time of year is officially here. And possibly the best and worst thing about these days of waiting is all of the speculation about how things will go for each team in the coming year. Predictions for the Vols have mostly been positive but the Big Orange also has its detractors.

One of the people that thinks the Vols might have a better team than many may suspect is national analyst Phil Steele. Steele released his pre-season All-SEC team this week and placed eight UT players on the list, including quarterback Hendon Hooker and linebacker Byron Young both gaining second-team honors.

Via UT Sports on Instagram

But one Volunteer name stood out from the rest: wide receiver Cedric Tillman. Tillman, a redshirt senior, was honored by Steele with a first-team All-SEC designation and he was also named to Steele's All-American list on the third-team. Only two other SEC receivers made Steele's All-American squad, LSU's Kayshon Boutte and Alabama's Jermaine Burton.

Tillman showed in 2021 that he would be UT's primary receiver going forward after the departure of Velus Jones Jr. Hooker to Tillman was an absolutely electric connection last year and it should only get better in 2022. Now, all that's left to do for Tillman is to play so well that he makes post-season All-American lists too.

Featured image via Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports