As he gears up for another big season on Rocky Top, Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman has been named a Third Team All-American by Phil Steele.
Despite having several All-SEC teammates, Tillman is the only preseason All-American from Tennessee listed by Steele.
Tillman was a vital component of Tennessee’s 2021 offense and was the Vols’ leading receiver by the end of the season. However, it didn’t start out that way necessarily. The first half of Tennessee’s season was spent figuring out which components best made the machine work when it came to the Vols’ offense. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel ended up making a quarterback switch to Hendon Hooker following an injury to Joe Milton III for the third game of the season against Tennessee Tech. However, Tillman would wind up missing that game due to an injury. So in reality, the first time that Tillman and Hooker had a full game together was the fourth week against Florida in Gainesville. Cedric Tillman only had three catches for 10 yards in that game.
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After the Florida game, Tillman and Hooker found a connection that would only grow exponentially throughout the season. Tillman’s next three games featured a 73-yard performance against Missouri, a 59-yard game against South Carolina, and an 84-yard game against Ole Miss.
In the final six games of Tennessee’s season, Tillman unlocked a new level to his game, averaging just under seven receptions a game for an average of 131 yards per contest. Tillman’s back-half of the season included a 10-reception, 200-yard game against No. 1 Georgia, 152 yards receiving yards against No. 4 Alabama, and 150 receiving yards in Tennessee’s bowl game against Purdue.
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Cedric Tillman ended the season as the SEC’s fourth-leading receiver with 1,081 total yards.
Heading into the 2022 season, Tillman is a big reason why most are optimistic about Tennessee’s season. The rising-senior wide receiver has a strong connection with the Vols’ quarterback and has coaches that are going to maximize his skill set and other pieces that should work to give him more opportunities. Tennessee will be bringing in USC transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy this season, who is a 6-foot-3 big-bodied receiver to go opposite Tillman.
In addition to Tillman’s Third Team All-American selection from Phil Steele, the publication has also listed Tillman as a First Team All-SEC pick. Athlon Sports also named Tillman a First Team All-SEC selection heading into the season.
