A season ago, injuries crippled an already underwhelming Tennessee receiver room. The Vols lost top receiver Bru McCoy in early October to a gruesome ankle injury. One month later it was Dont’e Thornton Jr who went down with a season ending ankle injury.
But both were not only back on the field but led Tennessee in receiving in the Vols’ 69-3 season opening victory over Chattanooga.
“We have a few guys unfortunately in this game the contact is real and through their work, their effort,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “That’s during the rehab process and our weight room. Guys building them back up or our medical team, all those guys are in a great space and playing really good football. So today was a big day for those guys.”
Bru McCoy started for Tennessee at receiver and, along with Chris Brazzell, was Nico Iamaleava’s favorite target. Iamaleava found McCoy six times for 89 yards including on one 37-yard post when they throw was slightly behind the super senior receiver. He popped up in a roar of jubilation and told the media that he was thinking of his granddad who passed away over the offseason.
For McCoy to be playing in the season opener is an accomplishment of its own after the fractured-dislocation of his right ankle last season. But for him to look like largely the same player is all the more surprising and supremely impressive.
“Huge for him. His family,” Heupel said. “I know I saw them in the hotel last night. I know they were excited, anxious, nervous, all of it. And Bru was excited to play. Great that he got opportunities to get the ball in his hand, make plays and played really well.”
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“It was a little bit surreal,” McCoy said on his return. “Re-going through everything but I really enjoyed it. I soaked it in and getting back out on the field you get a good sweat going and you feel at home.”
Thornton’s return to the field was much less about returning from injury but more about whether he could live up to the expectations that he failed to reach in his first season at Tennessee.
The former Oregon transfer didn’t start but he did make his presence felt. His last catch of the 2023 season was his lone touchdown on the year. His first catch of the 2024 season was a 36 yard touchdown. Thornton later added a 59 yard catch— Tennessee’s biggest play of the night— and a 10-yard touchdown.
“You can just see how much more comfortable Dont’e got with this offense,” Nico Iamaleava said of Thornton’s growth. “Just his first year, going into last year he was still figuring things out and I feel like he was really dialed in this whole fall camp and spring camp. He’s been great. Great work that he’s put in and he went out there and showed it on the field today.”
Tennessee used Thornton in the slot to begin last season and that’s when he struggled. Once the Vols moved Thornton out wide in late October, he began making strides forward. That’s all the more reason to be optimistic about what he can do with a full offseason of work.
“Last year with the reduction of scholarships … Dont’e started inside because we were real thin there,” Heupel said. “He moved outside middle of the season. He was starting to play his best football, most comfortable. Gets injured on the long play (at Missouri). Being healthy all offseason, being at home on the outside, he’s just continued to be extremely comfortable in what we’re doing offensively. And he’s played really consistent.”
Tennessee used a number of receivers in its season opener, touting the depth they’ve talked about all offseason. But the two wide outs returning from injury were the ones that led the way for the Vols.
