‘He’s had a strong start to fall camp, he wasn’t as strong in the spring’ – Young Vols WR is trending up as WR3 battle heats up
The Tennessee Vols’ battle for the No. 3 wide receiver job is heating up in fall camp.
One of the most interesting position battles in fall camp for the Tennessee Vols is the competition for the No. 3 wide receiver job behind incumbent starters Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.
Entering the offseason, sophomore Radarious Jackson was viewed by most as the favorite to win the job after catching nine passes for 90 yards as a true freshman.
Jackson, though, isn’t running away with the job. Sophomore Travis Smith and true freshman Trisen “TK” Keys are showing up in fall camp, and this competition is far from settled as a result.
After an up-and-down true freshman season, Smith has reportedly made big strides from where he was in spring practice.
Keys, meanwhile, is finally getting turned loose after he had been limited to start camp.
“Travis Smith, I’m told, has had a strong start to fall camp,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Monday. “He was not as strong in the spring, so that’s a positive sign for him. Rara (Jackson) obviously came in with a little bit more momentum — more momentum than Smith did.
“And then Tristen Keys was limited the first couple of days, but I’m told he has now started to be kind of not limited, and he’s really been allowed to kind of go and just play, and play free. He’s got to prove he can handle it from the mental side of things. Freshmen predominantly in this offense have not been as quick to the field because of the knowledge you have to possess to play the wide receiver position. We’ll see if Tristen Keys is the opposite of that. We’ll see if he can pick it up and potentially win that number three spot and have a chance to start alongside Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.”
Price noted that it’s far too early to say that anyone’s made a real move in the WR3 battle, but it’s clear that Tennessee has some quality competition at the position — which is always a good thing.
Smith has a ton of upside, but he struggled to find consistency as a true freshman. It sounds like he’s taking a step forward, though, in fall camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson and Smith rotate at WR3 spot to open the season while the Vols bring Keys along slowly (I think Keys will make an impact this fall, it just may not happen in September).
What about Tennessee’s other young wide receivers?
If you’re wondering why true freshman Tyreek King and sophomore Joakim Dodson weren’t mentioned, well there’s a good reason for that.
According to Price, King and Dodson have played predominantly in the slot during fall camp as they battle it out to see who will be the top backup to Staley.
