It’s no secret that the Tennessee Vols’ offense hasn’t been explosive enough this season.
Tennessee hasn’t scored more than 33 points in an SEC game this season. And the Vols haven’t scored 40 points in a game since their 71-0 win against Kent State in September.
For the Vols to be elite, they need a dominant defense and an explosive offense. In big games this season, only one of those things (defense) has been present.
Some of that is because redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is still developing. Iamaleava is seeing a lot of things for the first time this fall. It doesn’t help that teams often have unique defensive game plans when they face Vols, which means a lot of Iamaleava is seeing on film while preparing during the week isn’t what he sees on Saturdays. He will continue to improve thanks to the reps he’s seen against unique coverages in 2024.
Another reason why the Vols’ offense hasn’t been as explosive is because the wide receivers haven’t been quite as good as they were in 2021 and 2022.
When Josh Heupel first arrived at Tennessee, players like Velus Jones Jr and Cedric Tillman became instant stars. In 2022, which was Heupel’s second season leading the program, Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award.
A narrative quickly formed that Tennessee’s offense was a cheat code for wide receivers. The idea was that Heupel could plug in any wide receiver and results would instantly follow.
The last two seasons have proven that’s not the case.
In 2021, Tillman caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and Jones caught 62 passes for 807 yards. The duo combined for 19 receiving touchdowns.
In 2022, Hyatt caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Last season, Squirrel White led the team with 803 receiving yards. Tennessee hasn’t had a 1,000 yard receiver since Hyatt in 2022 and it doesn’t look like that will be changing in 2024.
Tennessee’s wide receivers have been solid, making some good plays over the last two seasons, but none have stepped up to become elite (drops have been an issues at times).
With players like Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton moving on after the season, the Vols will have a couple of wide receiver openings. Some youngsters should step into key roles for Tennessee next season (five-star Mike Matthews, a true freshman this season, specifically, needs to be featured heavily in 2025). The Vols, however, would be wise to turn to the NCAA transfer portal for some wide receiver help.
And there’s one player who would be a perfect fit.
Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr isn’t expected to transfer this offseason, but you never know what will happen once December arrives.
Coleman is a former four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2022 recruiting class.
The Saint Louis native originally played at Jackson State before transferring to Louisville. Coleman, who is a junior this fall, transferred to Mississippi State ahead of the 2024 season.
So far this season, Coleman has 62 receptions for 756 yards and four touchdowns while playing for a not-so-great Mississippi State team.
Coleman would be a perfect fit for Tennessee. He’d give the Vols’ offense a dynamic player who could be a true No. 1 wide receiver for Iamaleava. And he wouldn’t need much time to adjust to the offense because he’s played this season under Jeff Lebby, who essentially runs the same offense as Heupel. There would be no learning curve for Coleman.
Additionally, Coleman would fit well into Tennessee’s culture thanks to his “winning mindset”.
“I’m blessed to improve from last year and have great stats, but I care about winning,” said Coleman earlier this month. “The guys on this team have a winning mindset. I see no stats right now.”
Building an elite program through high school recruiting is the goal for most head coaches in college football. But the portal has to be utilized to take rosters to the next level. It can’t be done through high school recruiting alone. If Tennessee is going to take another step forward next season, they’ll need better wide receiver play. And Coleman is a player that would certainly make that room better.
