Tennessee Vols: How Josh Heupel gained a huge recruiting weapon on Thursday
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel gained a huge recruiting weapon on Thursday. And it had nothing to do with anything that happened in Knoxville. On Thursday, former Vols wide receiver Velus Jones Jr turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis by running a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash. For the last 10 […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel gained a huge recruiting weapon on Thursday.
And it had nothing to do with anything that happened in Knoxville.
On Thursday, former Vols wide receiver Velus Jones Jr turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis by running a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash.
For the last 10 years, the narrative about Tennessee players in the NFL is that they weren't properly utilized in college. We've seen numerous former Vols fall in the draft (or go undrafted) only to thrive in the NFL.
Alvin Kamara (third-round pick), Trey Smith (sixth-round pick), Emmanuel Moseley (undrafted), Shy Tuttle (undrafted), and Jauan Jennings (seventh-round pick) are just a few examples of UT players who didn't go high in the draft but have become productive NFL players.
On Thursday, the changing of that narrative started.
If not for Heupel, Jones probably isn't even invited to the combine this year. Before Heupel's arrival, Jones had never totaled more than 280 yards in a season. In one year with Heupel, Jones set a career-high with 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns.
Jones was at USC for three years and at Tennessee under Jeremy Pruitt for one year before playing for Heupel. None of those coaches were able to unlock Jones' talent except for Heupel.
If Jones had played another season for Pruitt, he's likely watching the combine on television like the rest of us. And hoping he'll get a shot with an NFL team after the 2022 NFL Draft.
Now he's going to be at least a mid-round draft pick. And it's because he stuck around at Tennessee for another year and played for Heupel.
The success of Jones is something that Heupel and the Volunteers can sell on the recruiting trail.
NIL money is a big deal right now. But most players are still making their college decision ultimately on which school can get them to the NFL. That's the goal.
And Heupel is proving that he can send offensive players to the NFL. He proved that he's not going to waste elite talent/speed.
Velus Jones Jr helped the future of Tennessee football on Thursday more than he probably realizes.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
