There's a major downside to the Tennessee Vols' offense under Josh Heupel that seems to be showing itself in 2023. 

And while it's not a make-or-break deal for Heupel and the Vols, it's still a concern. 

247Sports put out a list this week of snap counts for the top recruits from the 2023 recruiting class. 

At the wide receiver position, South Carolina's Nyck Harbor, a former five-star, leads the top recruits with 140 snaps. 

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, a Vol recruiting target that was rated as the No. 59 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, is third with 124 snaps. 

Tennessee wide receiver Nathan Leacock, the No. 73 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, has 0 snaps so far this season. 

Considering the Vols' wide receiver issues this season, you'd think Tennessee would want a player as talented as Leacock on the field. And I'm guessing the Vols' coaches want that, too. But because of the difficulties of learning Tennessee's system, the Vols haven't been able to utilize Leacock's elite talent like South Carolina has with Harbor or Ohio State has with Tate. 

"He has a unique skill set of size and speed…it's just been learning our system and going through it," said Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle when asked about Leacock earlier this month. 

The downside to Heupel's system is that it takes some time for players to learn it. Some players pick it up faster than others, but for the most part, it seems like true freshmen and transfer additions are going to take a while to adjust (unless they come from a system with similar concepts — something that benefitted JaVonta Payton as he came from Mississippi State/Mike Leach to Tennessee in 2021). 

This is going to make it a bit tougher for the Vols to restock and reload from year to year. While other programs might have true freshmen making a massive impact on offense, it's probably not going to be something that happens very often under Heupel. It's also true with first-year transfer additions (like Dont'e Thornton, who has struggled in his first year in Heupel's system). 

Now, this isn't a major criticism of Heupel. His system clearly works. But due to the difficulties of learning the system — and building chemistry with a quarterback (which is part of learning the system) — there are going to be "down seasons" where things don't click in every facet for the Vols. Tennessee seems to be going through one of those seasons right now (there's still plenty of good this season, but it's not "clicking" quite like last season). 

Unfortunately, this is just something that Tennessee is going to have to deal with. There is no shortcut to learning Heupel's system. 

In a perfect world, players learn the system for a year or two before they're thrust into meaningful action. But that doesn't always usually doesn't work out. Injuries and the transfer portal can quickly test a team's depth (by the way, it sure would be nice for the Vols to have wide receiver Walker Merrill, who transferred to Wake Forest after 2022, on the roster right now wouldn't it?). 

This concept doesn't apply to just wide receivers, either It's true for offensive linemen, tight ends, and quarterbacks, too. 

This is just the reality of Heupel's system. And that's ok. The system works for a reason. But it's not a cheat code. And it doesn't mean players will be automatically successful as soon as they step on campus (though some players will grasp it quicker than others). 

What it does mean, however, is that players still have to work extremely hard to be successful under Heupel. And fans should be patient during transition years — when the Vols come up short in big games because not everyone was on the same page for a full 60 minutes. 

There will be more seasons like 2022 for the Vols. But there will be some seasons like 2023 mixed in as well. It's just something that Tennessee fans have to accept. 

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