Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton received a significant amount of hype during the offseason after transferring to UT from Oregon. 

Thornton, who is 6-foot-5, provides a unique size/speed combination that gives him the potential to put up some big numbers in Tennessee's offense. 

But through the first three games of the season, Thornton hasn't produced at a high level. 

The Maryland native has only caught five passes for 65 yards through three games (note: Thornton only played eight snaps in Tennessee's 30-13 win against Austin Peay in Week Two). 

One theory as to why Thornton hasn't broke out in a Vols uniform just yet is because of his inexperience in Tennessee's offense. 

UT's offense under Josh Heupel requires everyone to be on the same page at all times. And it can take a little while to build that level of chemistry/trust. 

Vols offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle essentially confirmed on Tuesday while meeting with reporters that that's the case with Thornton.

"He is a freak athletically, let's start off with that — his size and speed combination," said Halzle when asked about Thornton's slow start. "What we do is different. And sometimes there's a learning curve. You've seen it before. You saw Jalin Hyatt from year one to year two was different. You saw Dont'e [on] Saturday night make some big plays down the field (he had a 43-yard catch on a third down play). He got some balls on the edge and made a guy miss and got us a nice play back on track when we were behind schedule."

"So you're seeing him grow," added Halzle. "And what I love about Dont'e is his attitude hasn't shifted. He hasn't gone into 'well I'm not getting the production I want so now I'm mad'. All he's doing is trying to figure out how do I get more production, what do I do, what do I need to learn, what more do I need to watch. He's been meeting extra — as much as anybody, like a freshman. So that's what's great about him. I expect his productivity to grow as we go through the season."

It was never fair to expect Thornton to turn into a Jalin Hyatt clone in Week One. 

Hyatt was moderately productive in his first year in Heupel's offense before breaking out in a big way as a junior in 2022. That's not to say that it will take that long for Thornton to break out (maybe it doesn't take that long or maybe it takes longer, no one knows for now), but it's a reminder that it takes time in this offense to become comfortable. 

Thornton has shown flashes of his elite abilities. And as he becomes more confident playing in Tennessee's offense, we should see more of those moments from the dynamic wide receiver. 

There’s a big truth that half of the Vols fan base needs to hear before moving on to the UTSA game

There’s a big truth that half of the Tennessee Vols fan base needs to hear before moving on to the UTSA game

truth ha

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