Vols Football: Josh Malone Still Searching For Consistency

Just a couple of weeks ago, ESPN mentioned Vols wide receiver Josh Malone as one of their potential breakout sophomore wide receivers in 2015.

And while Malone could very well end up having a breakout year in his second season on Rocky Top, he still has a lot of work to do to get there.

Tennessee wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni said on Thursday after practice that Malone has been “up and down” during spring practice, but he also noted that he sees “flashes of good things” that he didn’t necessarily show at the end of 2014.

"Azzanni: “He’s working on his daily habits, just coming out there with a mindset every day to get better. And I think he’s done that for the most part. He’s been up and down a little bit, but I see flashes of good things that I didn’t see at the end of last year because of injuries. He wants to get better. He’s taking a ton of special teams reps right now just to learn the game a little bit better.”"

Malone, who finished his freshman season with 23 catches for 231 yards and one touchdown, has the potential to be a game-changing player for the Volunteers.

Tennessee has a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, but they don’t have anyone that’s proven they can consistently stretch the field.

Malone, at 6’3″/198 lbs, has that kind of ability. He can be the guy that gets behind the secondary and makes the “splash” plays for UT.

But in order to do that, he’ll have to take huge strides in his sophomore season.