Tennessee Vols have another budding superstar on the roster that's poised to dominate the SEC
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman became a college football superstar in 2021 after catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2022, it was Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt that dominated the college football conversation thanks to his 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. Tillman and Hyatt are both […]
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman became a college football superstar in 2021 after catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In 2022, it was Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt that dominated the college football conversation thanks to his 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.
Tillman and Hyatt are both on their way to the NFL in 2023 which means it's time for a new superstar wide receiver to step up for the Vols.
And I'm pretty sure we know who it'll be.
Tennessee has some great options on the roster. Bru McCoy is a physical receiver who can gain precious yards after contact. Squirrel White can stretch the field vertically. And Ramel Keyton can do a little bit of it all.
But it's Oregon transfer wide receiver Dont'e Thornton that has the chance to become a household name in 2023 like Hyatt in 2022 and Tillman in 2021.
Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle was asked about Thornton on Wednesday during a media session with reporters and his comments about the former Oregon wide receiver should get Tennessee fans fired up.
"With Dont'e, really big guy that can run," said Halzle. "He's 6-foot-4 plus. The day he steps on the field, he might always be the fastest guy on the field. That guy can really roll. And he does a great job of giving you position flexibility with what he's done — his ability to get in and out of breaks. He's fluid…he can read defenses from his time playing college football. So he gives you a chance to move him all over the field and create mismatches."
Those words should be music to the ears of every Tennessee fan out there.
Thornton sounds like an absolutely perfect fit in the Vols' offense. He's big, he's fast, he can play anywhere on the field, and he knows how to read defenses.
He essentially checks every box that Tennessee could want in a wide receiver.
Thornton's size/speed combination, along with his ability to line up at different wide receiver spots, gives the Vols a seemingly endless amount of ways they can create mismatches with him. And his ability to read defenses is something that's critical to playing in UT's offense.
The quarterback and the wide receivers have to be able to read coverages and adjust to what the defenses are showing. And they have to be on the same page. It sounds like Thornton won't have any issues in that area.
Obviously, Thornton has to prove it on Saturdays this fall, but it really sounds like the Vols could have a new superstar wide receiver for the third straight season.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
