Florida Gators legend Chris Doering, who works as an analyst for the SEC Network, is hearing it from Vols fans this week over some comments he made recently about Tennessee’s wide receivers.

Last week, at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Doering called Tennessee’s wide receivers “underwhelming” despite the fact that UT was the only program in the nation with three players to go over 800 receiving yards (Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews, and Braylon Staley).

“I feel like I know nothing more about Tennessee than I did when I walked in the door here (at SEC Media Days),” said Doering. “Tennessee, maybe they’re playing coy or something, but we don’t know who their quarterback is going to be. The receivers have been underwhelming the last few years.

“We know their offensive line is going to be good. DeSean Bishop’s going to be good. I love Jim Knowles. The hire there as the defensive coordinator was the number one hire of the offseason for a coordinator situation. But I don’t know. I think we’re talking about a team that could slide further back from that playoff appearance two years ago.”

Chris Doering addresses the comments he made about Tennessee’s wide receivers

Doering joined The George Plaster Show on Monday and he addressed the comments he made about Tennessee’s wide receivers.

“I’ve been getting killed by Vols fans because I said the receivers were underwhelming last year,” said Doering. “And they wanted to point to the fact that they’re bringing back [two] receivers that had over 800 yards receiving last season, which is great.

“And then I replied and said, ‘Well, imagine if they’d have caught all the balls that were thrown to them?’ They had the second most drops in the SEC last year. So when your position is wide receiver and you struggle receiving the ball, that to me is underwhelming. So, I don’t know what the Vols do (in 2026). I think they take a little bit of a step back. I know they took a step back from their playoff year two years ago, but I really don’t have a good feel for who they are or what they’re going to be in 2026.”

Doering again praised DeSean Bishop, the offensive line, and the hire of Jim Knowles, but he also added that he doesn’t think Tennessee plays well against teams with similar talent.

“I think if you look at Tennessee lately, I’ve called them bullies from time to time because they beat up on the teams that are not as good from a talent perspective,” said Doering. “But when they play somebody that’s equally as talented or better, they don’t win a lot of those games.

“I want to see what their level of physicality is — particularly up front. They’re going to have to run the ball this year. And with very little threat of the pass, at least heading into the season, we’ll see how they do against defenses that may load the box against them, particularly if it is Faizon Brandon that starts (at quarterback).”

Everyone has opinions, and ultimately the Vols will answer the questions that Doering has on the field this fall.

But I’m not sure his “bullying” comment is quite fair. The Vols are 2-2 in their last four games against Alabama and they were a field goal away from beating Georgia last season. The SEC is tough — especially in this era where teams are able to buy talent and depth isn’t as prevalent as it was pre-transfer portal.

The Vols have also had three straight years with a running back going over 1,000 rushing yards, so running the ball hasn’t been an issue during the Josh Heupel era.

But again, the action on the field this fall will tell the true story.