When four-star JuCo wide receiver Von Pearson committed to Tennessee the day after the Vols beat South Carolina last season, fans immediately conjured up visions of former UT wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Pearson not only shared a similar trajectory as Patterson, but he also displayed the same open field elusiveness that made CP so dangerous during his lone season on Rocky Top.
It looked like Pearson was well on his way to being the Volunteers’ top receiver this season after he caught four passes for 71 yards in the first half of Tennessee’s win against Arkansas State on September 6.
Unfortunately for the Vols, Pearson suffered a high ankle sprain in that game and didn’t return until Tennessee’s game against Florida on October 4.
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In six quarters of action, before his injury, Pearson had 98 receiving yards. In four games since returning from injury, Pearson has only 77 receiving yards.
The reason for the drop-off is because Pearson still isn’t 100%. But according to Butch Jones, he’s getting really close to a full recovery.
JONES: Von Pearson is 85-90 percent. We are continuing to work to get his speed level back to where it needs to be.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 30, 2014
A fully healthy Von Pearson brings another element to the Vols’ offense. He’s still been effective, but he’s also been limited in what he can do on the field.
The elusiveness that Pearson showed on his touchdown reception in the season-opener against Utah State just hasn’t been there since his return.
The quicker Pearson can get to 100%, the quicker Tennessee can be at full strength on offense. The Vols will need Pearson to make some plays down the stretch, if the team plans to get to bowl eligibility.