Josh Heupel's comments about second year Tennessee Vols player should be scary for the rest of the SEC
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made some comments on Tuesday about a second year player that should excite UT fans and scare the rest of the SEC. In 2021 and 2022, when the Vols' offense was at its best under Heupel, the program's wide receivers did an excellent job of being on the same […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made some comments on Tuesday about a second year player that should excite UT fans and scare the rest of the SEC.
In 2021 and 2022, when the Vols' offense was at its best under Heupel, the program's wide receivers did an excellent job of being on the same page as the quarterback while showing the elite ability to find open grass on the field.
Heupel's unique up-tempo offense, which heavily utilizes choice routes, requires the quarterback and the wide receiver to essentially see the defense through the exact same lens. And that's of course easier said than done. A wide receiver might see a certain coverage and assume he needs to cut the route off instead of going vertical, while the quarterback may see the opposite, which leads to a throw that lands incomplete 40 yards down the field with no one around.
On Tuesday, Heupel was asked about redshirt freshman Braylon Staley, a former four-star recruit from South Carolina.
Heupel told reporters that Staley has been "super consistent" during spring practice while specifically pointing out that the young wide receiver is doing a good job of recognizing coverages and getting to the right spots on the field.
“Just how he’s continued to grow," said Heupel when asked what makes him believe that Staley can be a significant contributor for the Vols in 2025. "And that’s last fall, the steps that he continued to take, and what he’s done the first five days of spring ball. He’s been super consistent. [He] has great understanding within the scope of what we’re doing offensively. [He] has the ability to recognize and identify coverages, get to the right spot in zone and man looks, and [he] has played really long over the middle of the football field the first part of spring ball.”
Those comments from Heupel are certainly a great sign for Staley's development — especially after hearing the comments that VolQuest's Brent Hubbs made during an appearance last week on 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will.
"Braylon Staley is a guy, for me, that's kind of stood out," said Hubbs. "I like him because he catches the ball with his hands. I think he certainly sees an opportunity that he didn't have a year ago with Squirrel White and other guys that they had that are no longer here. I think he sees this as go time for him. He's gotten off to a nice start. Mike Matthews has gotten off to a quality start as well."
A lot of the attention this offseason has centered around Vols sophomore wide receiver Mike Matthews and the impact that he can make in Tennessee's offense as a full-time player in 2025. And while there's no doubt that Matthews is critical to the Volunteers' success this fall, it could be Staley that proves to be the true X-factor for Tennessee in Heupel's fifth season in Knoxville.
