Tennessee Vols have a chance to make a huge addition to the roster, but it comes with a risk
The Tennessee Vols could be making a huge addition to the roster this week. It's an addition I think they should make, but it comes with a potentially big risk. Oregon transfer wide receiver Dont'e Thornton is reportedly set to visit Tennessee this weekend. The feeling is that the Vols have a really good shot […]
The Tennessee Vols could be making a huge addition to the roster this week.
It's an addition I think they should make, but it comes with a potentially big risk.
Oregon transfer wide receiver Dont'e Thornton is reportedly set to visit Tennessee this weekend.
The feeling is that the Vols have a really good shot to land the talented wide receiver.
Thornton caught 17 passes for 366 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore last season. The former four-star recruit is a big play waiting to happen (Thornton averaged 21.5 yards per catch in 2022, which would've led the Vols this season).
The Maryland native would be a perfect fit in Heupel's offense. He has elite size (6-foot-5) which would allow him to fight for 50/50 balls in the end zone. Thornton is also good in space and his long strides allow him to play even faster than his reported 4.43 time in the 40-yard dash would indicate.
This is a player that Tennessee could definitely use in 2023. But with the Vols seemingly only playing three wide receivers in most games, where does Thornton fit in? A guy with his talent would obviously be coming to Knoxville to start (as he should). But what about Tennessee's other three wide receivers that are expecting to start this season?
Squirrel White, thanks to his elite speed and connection with presumed 2023 starting quarterback Joe Milton, almost certainly has a starting spot locked down.
Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton are the Vols' other two starting options. McCoy is great in short-yardage situations as he can fight through tackles and gain extra yards. He's an underrated player who came up huge numerous times for Tennessee in 2022. I can't see him going to the bench. The role he plays is too important.
As for Keyton, he patiently waited his turn and got his shot this season when Cedric Tillman went down with an ankle injury. Keyton played extremely well and made countless big catches in important moments for the Vols.
If anyone in this group is heading for a reserve role in the event that Thornton transfers to UT, my guess is that it would be Keyton.
Regardless of who it is, though, there's a chance that someone hits the portal.
We've already seen Walker Merrill hit the portal. Merrill was in line to be the No. 4 wide receiver (outside of added players from the transfer portal) in 2023. He saw that he likely wasn't going to get on the field and now he's looking for playing time.
Maybe no one hits the portal. We saw this season that injuries happen and you can't get by with just three starting-caliber wide receivers. But will the players see it the same way?
That's a question we can't answer right now. And that's why it feels like taking Thornton, though I think it's the right move (if he picks Tennessee), comes with a big risk for the Volunteers.
Featured image via Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
