The Tennessee Vols had several players experience breakout seasons last year.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receivers Velus Jones Jr and Cedric Tillman were all afterthoughts entering the 2021 season.

A year later and Hooker is a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate, Tillman is the SEC's leading returning wide receiver, and Jones was a third-round pick by the Chicago Bears.

Based on last season, I think it's fair to assume that we'll see more Vols players enjoy breakout seasons in 2022.

One of those players could be newcomer Bru McCoy, a former five-star wide receiver who transferred to Tennessee from USC this offseason.

Hooker spoke to reporters on Thursday at SEC Media Days in Atlanta and had nothing but great things to say about McCoy.

“Bru, he’s always down to work," said Hooker. "I could call him at 3 AM and he'd be ready to go catch some balls. So, you know, it's a special thing in that receiver room, for sure. I pride myself on working and trying to be the first one in and the last one out, and I always seem to catch some receivers out there catching some Jugs."

"Bru is…you know, a special guy. He’s big, fast, explosive, can catch the ball. Huge catch radius. So I'm excited to see him in action.”

It certainly sounds like McCoy has the work ethic to make an impact in the SEC. And he definitely has the talent. Things didn't work out for him at USC, but that's not unfamiliar to Tennessee fans. Velus Jones didn't have a lot of success at USC, either. But after one season with Heupel, he's now a key player for the Bears (Jones will likely be one of Chicago's starting wide receivers in 2022).

One thing to note: McCoy hasn't been cleared yet to play for the Vols this fall according to UT head coach Josh Heupel.

“There’s another hurdle that we’ve still got to clear for him to be completely eligible,” said Heupel on Thursday when asked about McCoy's eligibility. "So our administration and (athletic) department are working on that, and we’ll find out when we find out.”

These things tend to get worked out. And I think McCoy will eventually be cleared for the 2022 season. But it's still a situation worth monitoring for Tennessee fans.

The Vols lost a couple of productive wide receivers in Jones and JaVonta Payton, but they're fortunate to have some quality depth ready to step up in 2022. McCoy would just make that unit even better.

Featured image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports