Tennessee Vols player crucial to a successful 2025 season listed as breakout candidate by national outlet
The Tennessee Volunteers had about as big of an exodus as a team can have at one position over the last two months. The Vols' wide receiver room lost a total of seven players since the regular season ended in Nashville on November 30. Seven wide receivers are heading out of town, with five of […]
The Tennessee Volunteers had about as big of an exodus as a team can have at one position over the last two months. The Vols' wide receiver room lost a total of seven players since the regular season ended in Nashville on November 30.
Seven wide receivers are heading out of town, with five of them hitting the transfer portal. Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Squirrel White, Nathan Leacock, and Nate Spillman all hit the portal. Bru McCoy's eligibility is up, and Donte' Thornton, Jr. is off to the NFL.
That's seen both a lot of both production and potential walk out the door in a short period of time. Naturally, that turns the attention back to what the Vols do have, and the pressure is clearly on one player in particular: rising sophomore Mike Matthews.
Fortunately, that's exactly who On3 Sports' Ari Wasserman sees as among the most likely to have a breakout season in 2025. Wasserman listed Matthews among his top ten likely breakout candidates.
Matthews caused quite the stir when it was reported that he had also entered his name in the transfer portal after the Vols' playoff loss to Ohio State. However, after some convincing, Matthews ultimately decided to stay in Knoxville and give the Vols a much-needed presence going into 2025. As Wasserman noted, his return was "presumably because there is an opportunity to emerge as Nico Iamaleava's top target in 2025".
Matthews' lack of opportunities in 2025 befuddled many Tennessee fans, particularly after a strong showing in the 2024 spring game. He had just 7 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns for the year.
Still, he appears to have the highest upside of anyone returning to the wide receiver room in 2025. Chris Brazzell II had some moments, including the winning touchdown against Alabama, but he never quite lived up to the hype coming in last offseason.
If the Vols' passing game is going to take a step forward in 2025, which it desperately needs to with Dylan Sampson off to the NFL, then it will need a breakthrough performance from their talented sophomore wideout. We'll see if this offseason can shed some light on the likelihood of that step forward fans, coaches, and teammates are hoping for.
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