The Tennessee Vols’ offense, and whether it prepares players for the NFL, has been a big topic for, well, the last five years.

Numerous analysts, NFL players, executives, coaches, and opposing fans have pushed the narrative that Tennessee’s offense harms the development of players.

“I don’t trust the Tennessee receivers — not because of the players, but the style of play that they have,” said former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith earlier this month. “In 2026, the receivers at Tennessee, when I look at them, I think of the old Baylor Bears receivers and some of the Ole Miss receivers outside of, obviously, AJ (Brown) and DK Metcalf. But outside of those two guys, I put those Tennessee wide receivers in those same two categories where I go, ‘I can’t trust them because I don’t really believe they were taught the game of football at the highest level.’

“They are taught when it’s your chance, run. … That’s like Jalin Hyatt. Remember, I had those questions a couple years ago. And it sucks for him, because I do think he’s a young, talented, fast wide receiver. I also believe he was short-changed by the lack of great coaching to give him a true understanding of how to play football at the highest level. You’re getting these kids drafted, right? So you’re throwing them in the ocean, but just because they can doggy paddle, doesn’t mean that all of a sudden they can swim in the Olympics.”

“I like Cedric Tillman,” added Smith. “He’s at Cleveland. He was at Tennessee when Jalin Hyatt was coming out. [Tillman] had sustained some injuries. I said he was a good player. I liked him. I thought his film was really good — I thought he was an X receiver. I talked to Joe Flacco when he was balling up in Cleveland a couple years ago. And guess what? I said, ‘Hey, man, what do you think about Tillman?’ He says, ‘Man, I like him, Steve. I really like him. Tennessee didn’t help him develop.’ [Those were] his words exactly.“

Former Vol Charles Davis weighs in on the narrative around Tennessee’s offense

Former Vols defensive back Charles Davis, an analyst for CBS Sports, joined WNML’s SportsTalk on Tuesday and shared some thoughts on Josh Heupel’s offense at Tennessee and the narratives surrounding it.

“I think it’s something that’s real,” said Davis of the skepticism around Tennessee’s offense. “It’s something that gets talked about probably more off camera than on [camera]. I think everyone likes to be very careful about that, because when you talk about it, you’re really putting it on a program, right? You’re putting an onus on a program that’s winning football games, doing an excellent job, and all those things that go with it. It’s a very difficult thing for Josh Heupel and his staff, because you’re walking that line of are you telling me what I’m doing doesn’t work? When you can see, in fact, that it does work quite well.

“Kids should be able to adapt and add to their game as they move forward. That’s kind of how all of this works. Every kid that gets drafted into the NFL didn’t play in the system that they’re going to play in in the NFL. They’re going to be asked to do different things. Fernando Mendoza, the number one draft pick, will go under center more in his first week of mini-camp and OTAs than he did in his time at Indiana last year. So he’s got to adapt and adjust. But because of the (Tennessee) offense [being] high profile and (former Vols WR) Jalin Hyatt has come nowhere close to being a good pro, I think your statement (the negative perception of UT’s offense) is kind of apt.”

“When you have quarterback coaches like Quincy Avery put out there [that he] would never send a kid to Tennessee because of the system, those types of things hit,” continued Davis. “And until other people show differently, [the narrative won’t change]. (Former Vols QB) Hendon Hooker has not helped, quote, unquote, because he hasn’t broken through as a quarterback in the NFL. So when people are recruiting and talking and all of that, you know darn well that the people recruiting against [Tennessee] are going to use those sorts of things. So I don’t think that what you’re saying is hyperbole. I don’t think what you’re saying is out of line.

“Chris Brazzell is going to be very important for the program to break through and become a good player and run a good route tree and be a significant guy. The beauty is that I think he can do it in Carolina. I think that’s a good spot for him, with Dave Canales as the head coach.”

There’s one thing, specifically, that Davis said that’s important to remember — it’s on the players to adapt and add to their game as they move forward in their careers.

Playing in a pro-style offense can obviously help development, but if you can learn routes at 19 years old, surely you can learn routes at 23 years old in the NFL. Again, as Davis noted, what most of these players ran in college, even at Ohio State and Georgia, isn’t what they’ll run in the NFL.

The biggest way that colleges can prepare players for the NFL is by teaching them how to handle themselves like pros — accountability, putting in extra work, being a good teammate, etc. That stuff has nothing to do with scheme (and it’s something Tennessee does well under Heupel).

All it will take is one former Vols wide receiver, quarterback, tight end, or running back becoming a star in the NFL to make this narrative stop (kind of like how the Air Raid narrative mostly ended once Patrick Mahomes became a superstar).

If anything, Heupel should be applauded for helping players get to the NFL. But once they get to the league, it’s on them to perform.