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After a tremendous season leading the Vols in receiving last year, Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman is poised for a breakout season in 2022.
On Monday, Pro Football Focus highlighted eight dark horse candidates that they believe will take the league by storm next season. Included in the eight players was Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman.
In addition to Tillman, Pro Football Focus listed Georgia’s AD (Adonai) Mitchell, Houston’s Tank Dell, BYU’s Puka Nacua, Michigan’s Ronnie Bell, Penn State’s Parker Washington, Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.
To say that Tillman’s season last year was a breakout may honestly be an understatement. And that certainly becomes even more true when looking at his career as a whole.
Any other college receivers that everyone needs to quit sleepin’ on❓ pic.twitter.com/wOflC2TOyF
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 28, 2022
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As a recruit in the class of 2018, Tillman was a two-star prospect according to Rivals and a three-star prospect via 247’s rankings. Tillman only had three offers coming out of high school and chose to take his talents from Las Vegas to Knoxville over the likes of UNLV and Hawaii.
During his first three seasons with the Tennessee program, Tillman only had a total of eight receptions in six game appearances. For a good portion of his early career, Tillman was behind future NFL talent on the roster, but the Vols’ offenses in general just weren’t humming along. As Tillman did his best to help lead Tennessee as one of the Vols’ receivers in 2020, he only came away with three receptions for 67 yards over the course of the season.
However, that’s when head coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh stepped in. As Heupel and Golesh came to Knoxville and completely reinvented the Volunteers’ offense, Tillman was one of the biggest puzzle pieces to Tennessee’s success in scoring points.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in over 200-pounds, Tillman is the ideal fit for the outside in an uptempo SEC offense. And that’s exactly what he was. Tillman and quarterback Hendon Hooker quickly found a connection during the season, which manifested into one of the best wide receiver/quarterback duos in the league by the end of the year.
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In the Vols’ 13 games last season, Tillman finished the year with 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns on 64 receptions. In addition, Tillman led the Vols’ offense in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The junior wide receiver was magnificent in the Vols’ new-look offensive scheme.
Cedric Tillman has been hard at work since arriving in Knoxville in May of 2018. When Heupel and his staff came in, though, Tillman was one of the first players to step up and take on any and every challenge ahead of him.
“To me, it really just dates back to when I first got here,” Heupel said about Tillman’s development in November. “That’s a guy that has been extremely focused on continuing to change his body, gain strength, development inside the strength and conditioning area. A guy that has probably spent as much or more time understanding what we’re doing. Really being diligent and watching film. Then you get into spring ball, his first five practices, consistent in his work ethic, but you saw growth from the first five to the second five to the third five.”
Tennessee will return Tillman and his quarterback, Hendon Hooker, for the upcoming 2022 season. However, between JaVonta Peyton and Velus Jones Jr, the Vols are also looking to replace more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns from a receiving standpoint. Tennessee does have talented players to step up and fill in, but as the Vols’ leading/returning wide receiver, Tillman will be posied to have an absolutely monster season this fall.
