Former Tennessee Vols player has big opportunity to shine with his new team in 2023
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Walker Merrill has SEC talent, but he didn't have a quick path to the field in Knoxville. As a result, Merrill, a Tennessee native, transferred to Wake Forest earlier this offseason after catching eight passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore at UT last year. While Merrill […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Walker Merrill has SEC talent, but he didn't have a quick path to the field in Knoxville.
As a result, Merrill, a Tennessee native, transferred to Wake Forest earlier this offseason after catching eight passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore at UT last year.
While Merrill will certainly be expecting more playing time in Winston-Salem than he received at Tennessee, he might receive more action with the Demon Deacons than he initially anticipated.
Earlier this month, news broke that Wake Forest wide receiver Donavan Greene is expected to miss three to five months (which puts his season in jeopardy) with a non-contact knee injury.
Greene is Wake Forest's leading returning wide receiver (37 receptions for 642 yards and six touchdowns last season).
Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis, who is taking over as the Demon Deacons' starter with Sam Hartman off to Notre Dame, told WXII's John Johnson earlier this week that Merrill is a player who could step up for the Demon Deacons this fall.
Johnson also noted that Merrill has "flashed" early in camp.
Wake Forest wide receivers coach Ari Confessor also had positive things to say about the former Vol recently.
“He’s a guy who goes a hundred miles an hour,” said Confesor about Merrill. “He’s a physical receiver and he’s always running full speed. He catches the football well, and runs really, really good routes. He’s just a really good competitor.”
Merrill is a tremendously athletic wide receiver who more than held his own at Tennessee. He was just on the wrong side of the numbers game.
The former Vol, however, has a golden opportunity in the Black and Gold at Wake Forest — Merrill has the chance to be an immediate impact player for the Demon Deacons.
Oddly enough, Merrill will return to Nashville (he's from Brentwood, TN) and the SEC on September 9 when Wake Forest takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vols insider drops exciting nugget about Nico Iamaleava’s performance during Tennessee’s fall camp
A Vols insider dropped an exciting nugget about Nico Iamaleava’s performance during Tennessee’s fall camp
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC
