Wide Receiver
Starters: Josh Palmer (Sr.), Deangelo Gibbs (R-Jr.), Velus Jones Jr. (R-Sr.)
Callaway and Jennings combined for 89 catches, 1,604 yards, and 14 touchdowns last season, in addition to catching 28 of Tennessee’s 48 completions of 20-plus yards. The pair accounted for 56 percent of the team’s receiving yardage and 74 percent of the team’s receiving touchdowns. If you add in Wood-Anderson and Tyler Byrd, the Vols must replace nearly 70 percent of its receiving production and 16 of their 19 touchdowns from last year.
First in line to replace those veterans is returning senior Josh Palmer, along with Georgia transfer Deangelo Gibbs — who sat out last season due to transfer rules. Palmer had several impressive catches as the No. 3 receiver last year, while Gibbs repeatedly impressed coaches as a member of the scout team in practice.
Tennessee will significantly miss Jennings’ production from the slot as most of his 969 receiving yards came from the middle of the field. As a graduate transfer from USC, Velus Jones Jr. will get the first crack at that position. Jones was most known for his ability as a kick returner at USC, but Tennessee didn’t pursue him only to be a returner.
Second-Team: Brandon Johnson (Sr.), Ramel Keyton (So.), Jalin Hyatt (Fr.)
After Jones, multiple receivers will get a crack at passing Jones to be the starter in the slot. Brandon Johnson, Ramel Keyton, Jalin Hyat,t and Dee Beckwith are all options. Because of his speed, Hyatt is the most likely to start in the slot over Jones, or at least be the No. 2 option there.
Johnson redshirted last season as a senior in order to play more of a role in 2020 and could push to be a starter. He led Tennessee in catches in 2017 as a sophomore and can play outside or inside. Keyton can also play any of the receiver positions and is expected to play a significant role this season.
Third-Team: Dee Beckwith (Fr.), Malachi Wideman (Fr.), Cedric Tillman (R-So.)
The two names to watch in Tennessee’s receiving room are freshmen Dee Beckwith and Malachi Wideman. Beckwith and Wideman are more than capable of pushing for early playing time, but they’re also candidates to redshirt.
Cedric Tillman will be in the rotation. The question is how often? Tillman is one of the room’s better blocking options, but he needs to improve himself as more of a pass-catching option to get more playing time.
Other Options: Jimmy Calloway (Fr.), Miles Jones (R-So.), Isaiah Montgomery (So.)
Jimmy Calloway is a redshirt candidate but will be one of the fastest receivers the moment he steps foot on campus. He could push for early playing time as well.
