Vols predicted to land one of the top players in the transfer portal
The Tennessee Volunteers have added made some significant additions to their passing game the last few weeks through the transfer portal. Former Notre Dame TE Holden Staes jointed the Volunteers, as did big 6'5" WR Chris Brazzell II from Tulane. It appears Josh Heupel might yet have another big fish on his hook as 2023 […]
The Tennessee Volunteers have added made some significant additions to their passing game the last few weeks through the transfer portal. Former Notre Dame TE Holden Staes jointed the Volunteers, as did big 6'5" WR Chris Brazzell II from Tulane.
It appears Josh Heupel might yet have another big fish on his hook as 2023 ends. J.D. PicKell of On3 Sports predicted on Thursday that Texas A&M WR Evan Stewart will end up in Knoxville soon.
PicKell is the second individual from On3 Sports to link Stewart to Tennessee in the past day. Pete Nakos of On3 Sports linked Tennessee as one of five teams to watch for Stewart on Wednesday.
What Pickell says makes a lot of sense as far as the attractiveness of playing for Josh Heupel's offense. Heupel's offense is as much about downfield shots and big play chances as any in the country. If you're talking about making a name for yourself for the NFL Draft, the opportunity to make impact plays for scouts and general managers certainly doesn't hurt. Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman are also proof that you can indeed thrive in Heupel's system and find yourself making plays on Sundays.
As such, the draw is there in Tennessee's offense for Stewart. It also doesn't hurt having a blossoming young star under center in Nico Iamaleavea to throw you the football.
Heupel and the Vols got a first-hand look at Stewart back on October 14, when the Vols defeated the Aggies 20-13. Stewart had a team-high 4 catches for 48 yards. The Vols' suffocating pass rush stymied any chance of a bigger day for the wideout.
Stewart is ranked as the #2 overall player in the transfer portal by On3 Sports. He finished 2023 with 38 catches for 514 yards and 4 touchdowns in 8 games in 2023. His best game came in a 48-33 loss at Miami, where he totaled 11 catches for 142 yards.
If the Vols can land the star wideout's services, then Tennessee's pass catching group for 2024 might be a sizeable cut above what fans saw this season.
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