‘He can make you forget about Squirrel White pretty quickly’ – Vols insider sees a big opportunity for young Tennessee WR
One of the players the Tennessee Vols will be looking to replace in 2025 is wide receiver Squirrel White. White, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Tennessee, transferred to Florida State after the 2024 season. If White had returned to Tennessee for his senior season, he would’ve been the Vols’ most […]
One of the players the Tennessee Vols will be looking to replace in 2025 is wide receiver Squirrel White.
White, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Tennessee, transferred to Florida State after the 2024 season.
If White had returned to Tennessee for his senior season, he would’ve been the Vols’ most experienced (and most productive) wide receiver after catching 131 passes for 1,665 yards and six touchdowns during his three seasons as a Vol.
With White moving on to Tallahassee, it opens the door for redshirt freshman wide receiver Braylon Staley to play a key role in Tennessee’s offense.
Staley, a former four-star recruit from South Carolina, saw limited action as a true freshman in 2024 (83 snaps on the season), but he will be a featured option in the passing game for the Vols this fall.
And VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs thinks Staley can make UT fans forget about White “pretty quickly” — as long as he stays healthy.
“I don’t think there’s any question that at the slot position, he could be a really good player in this offense,” said Hubbs on Friday during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “I think Tennessee has a belief that he can be really productive as a slot in this offense. He’s got to get to the practice field, and he’s gotta stay there. He’s gotta stay healthy. And I think that’s the frustration. He didn’t go at the end of spring because he was dealing with this issue. The other hamstring bothered him last fall camp, and now he’s got a hamstring (injury) this fall camp. He’s just gotta stay healthy.
“If he can stay healthy, I do think he is a guy in the slot that you look at and go, ‘Oh yeah, he can do a ton of things’. I mean, no offense to him. I think he can make you forget about Squirrel White pretty quickly. And put you back a little bit in that (former Vols WR) Velus Jones type of deal in the slot. He’s gotta practice, and he’s got to stay healthy. And I think right now, that’s the biggest question mark you have with him is can he get healthy — he should practice next week — and can he stay healthy? Or is he one of those that it’s going to be problematic? And we’ve seen some of that. I’ve seen some of that throughout my 30 years (of covering Tennessee), where guys are really talented, but they just can’t stay healthy enough to play. And he’s gotta go prove he can play week in and week out if he’s going to have a chance to be a breakout star.”
Staley is an incredibly dynamic player who has elite body control skills and pass-catching abilities.
The best ability, however, is availability. Staley will have to find a way to leave his hamstring issues in the past if he’s going to become a star in the SEC in 2025.
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