Tennessee Vols fans are likely accustomed to seeing UT players not getting a lot of attention from the national media during the offseason.

Ultimately it doesn't matter what's said about a player during the offseason — all that matters is the performance on the field.

But it's still nice to see players get recognized on a national level.

That's why fans should be excited to know that Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman was mentioned this week by 247Sports as one of the top 10 returning wide receivers in college football for the 2022 season.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about Tillman:

Tillman was a YAC monster in 2021. He’ll be paired up with quarterback Hendon Hooker again so it should definitely help his production for the Volunteers offense. He can really stretch the field, giving Tennessee a big-play threat in 2022. Expect his catch numbers to go up next season and he could end up being one of the top receivers in the SEC by season’s end. 

As a member of the Class of 2018, Tillman was a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 11 overall prospect in Nevada, the No. 246 overall wide receiver in the class, and the No. 1,677 overall prospect in the class.

Tillman's return combined with quarterback Hendon Hooker's return gives the Volunteers one of the most dangerous quarterback/wide receiver combos in the SEC.

Before the 2021 season, Tillman had eight total receptions for 124 yards.

In just one year with Hooker, Tillman went from 124 career receiving yards to having the fourth-best season ever by a Tennessee wide receiver (Tillman's 1,081 receiving yards are the fourth-most ever in a season by a UT player).

If Tillman has another 1,000-yard season, he'll finish his Tennessee career with around the same amount of receiving yards as former Vols Robert Meachem and Jauan Jennings (Jennings is No. 4 in all-time receiving yards at UT while Meachem is No. 5).

Tillman should be even better in 2021 in his second year in Josh Heupel's potent offense (plus his second year with Hooker). Another 1,000-yard season feels inevitable.

As long as Tillman stays healthy, he should be an early-round draft selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK