There's a potential recruiting problem the Tennessee Vols could be facing over the next couple of years that no one seems to be acknowledging.

Tennessee could find it hard to build wide receiver depth in the coming seasons.

I know that sounds odd to say considering the success that UT wide receivers have had since Josh Heupel took over in 2021, but there's a big reason why it could be the case.

Tennessee's wide receivers are producing at a high level under Heupel, but there isn't much playing time to go around.

The Vols, partially because of Heupel's up-tempo offense (they don't substitute often), mostly stick to playing just three wide receivers.

This season, those wide receivers were typically Jalin Hyatt, Bru McCoy, and Ramel Keyton.

Cedric Tillman was ahead of Keyton in that group when healthy.

Here are the snap counts for the Vols' top eight wide receivers this season:

• Jalin Hyatt — 733
• Bru McCoy — 721
• Ramel Keyton — 522
• Cedric Tillman — 368
• Squirrel White — 170
• Jimmy Holiday — 58
• Walker Merrill — 55
• Jimmy Calloway — 28

If Tillman had not suffered an ankle injury against Akron that caused him to miss seven games (counting the Orange Bowl), then Keyton's snap count would likely be similar to White's snap count.

Most of those snaps outside of the top four or five guys came in garbage time.

Two of Tennessee's top eight wide receivers have already transferred (Holiday and Calloway).

And I wouldn't rule out another one hitting the portal soon (Merrill is the most likely option) — especially if the Vols take a transfer wide receiver (Oregon wide receiver Dont'e Thornton is a possibility).

If Thornton, for example, joins Tennessee's roster, it would leave Merrill as the No. 5 wide receiver at best next season. Merrill will be a junior next fall and he's part of the first class that won't have an extra COVID year of eligibility. He has the talent to be an SEC starting wide receiver and possibly reach the NFL. But there's no guarantee he'll even get a shot to start as a senior.

The Vols' three wide receiver rotation works incredibly well. But we saw this season how important it is to have quality depth. Can Tennessee keep that depth around?

It could be tough if talented guys are getting buried on the depth chart.

The good news for Tennessee is that it only takes one year in Heupel's system for a wide receiver to become a legitimate NFL prospect, so perhaps that will lead to players sticking around and waiting for their chance.

However, at the same time, programs are tampering these days (every program is…trust me). They're going to be coming after the Vols' seldom-used wide receivers.

The good news is that Tennessee isn't alone in facing this issue — most teams don't rotate more than a few wide receivers. But that doesn't change that the portal is going to be an enticing option for the receivers on the Vols' roster that aren't playing.

I think it's going to be interesting to see how Heupel manages that aspect of his roster. It's certainly something to watch this offseason as the transfer portal continues to get crazier than we ever imagined it would be.

Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK