ESPN lists two Tennessee Vols as top 10 breakout candidates across the country, and they have to be for UT to take a step forward in 2025
Two young players have a golden opportunity this season
The Tennessee Volunteers have a number of key questions heading into the 2025 season, and chief among them is who will step up as pass catchers for the Volunteers after a mass exodus from last year’s roster.
However, one national outlet sees a pair of Volunteers as prime candidates to do have a breakout season in 2025. ESPN’s Billy Tucker put out a list of top 10 breakout candidates across the country for this season among second-year players, and wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley were fifth on the list together.
This is what Tucker had to say about Staley and Matthews:
“Yes, we are hedging our bet with this pick. We expect Matthews or Staley to break out this year as a top SEC receiver. Who that will be depends on who stays healthy, as both have been injury prone. They both have flashed as well. Matthews is as expected. Sudden and elusive after the catch, the No. 5 wide receiver in the ESPN 300 headlined the Vols’ No. 15 class. Staley was inside the top 300 but as the No. 21 receiver. A former state champion in the 200 meters and triple jump, Staley, who redshirted last season, has excellent short-area quickness, explosive movements and elite ball skills. This WR room needs to produce for the Vols to return to the College Football Playoff.”
Matthews and Staley were two of the highest-rated wide receiver recruits in the country back in the 2024 class, both top 100 players per Rivals. Matthews was the #26 overall player and #4 wide receiver, with Staley was 83rd and 17th. Neither player had much of an impact last year as true freshman (Matthews – 7 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns; Staley – 3 catches for 21 yards).
However, what was a deep depth chart last year has thinned considerably, with seven more experienced players leaving after the season for both the NFL and the transfer portal. Returning leading WR Chris Brazzell II – who’s been dealing with an injury in fall camp – made news last week for being arrested, so we’ll see if any discipline will be handed down from Josh Heupel in the next couple of weeks.
In any event, the opportunity couldn’t be brighter and more wide open for one or both of Matthews and Staley to become a big part of the Tennessee offense in 2025. Because if that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to see how Tennessee will have any kind of significant success this fall.
