Tennessee Football: Should Butch Jones and Mike DeBord Need to Shorten the Vols Wide Receiver Rotation in 2016

Tennessee football coaches Butch Jones, Mike DeBord, and Zach Azzanni need to shorten the wide receiver rotation for the 2016 Volunteers season.

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For four years, Butch Jones has consistently made headlines for stocking up on wide receivers in recruiting. The success in that realm created heavy expectations year in and year out for the Vols at the position.

But four years later, there really hasn’t been a wide receiver who has lived up to his hype yet.

Marquez North had the chance, but he suffered injuries down the stretch.

But in three years, the most receiving yards anybody got in a year under Jones was Pig Howard when he picked up 618 in 2014.

The other two years, nobody has gone over 500.

That Jones and the coaching staff have failed to produce a standout receiver yet is a result of two things: unfortunate injuries and conduct issues, but also a system that never lets receivers get into a rhythm.

Last year, under Mike DeBord, it seemed as if things got worse, as the ball was spread out among numerous players. Jones said he likes to run a lot of guys in and out as much as possible.

But that’s not always the best thing.

And given his experience, he should know that. In his days at Central Michigan, Jones would keep two guys and a slot player as his major options, and one year he nearly produced two 1,000-yard receivers as a result.

Antonio Brown was obviously the star of that show.

Then, his first year at Cincinnati, he once again had a 1,000-yard receiver. But after that disastrous year, the worst coaching season of his career, Jones seems to have panicked.

He has not had a receiver go over 800 yards since then, and we already mentioned how low the stats have been in Knoxville.

At SEC Media Days, Jones mentioned only three receivers in Josh Malone, Josh Smith, and Preston Williams. Of course, Jauan Jennings and Jeff George are in the mix, and Jones said there would be competition among freshmen.

But if those are the three guys who stand out, that’s perfect. And Jones and DeBord should keep them as the regular starters in the game, with Malone and Williams on the outside and Smith in the slot while Jason Croom and Ethan Wolf alternate at tight end.

Jennings and George can be backups, and the freshmen can all compete for backup roles. But this season, Jones should adopt the David Cutcliffe model of just two main receivers and a slot guy.

That’s always when Tennessee’s passing game was at its best.

Maybe one of the reasons that he has seen players get hurt at the position is that none of them can get into a rhythm, so they’re all stiff. Also, in a no-huddle offense based on tempo, it may be a bit tricky to keep trying to rotate receivers in ana out.

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So why would he keep doing that? Shortening the receiver rotation is one way the passing game could take off in 2016.