Five Players That Need To Step Up For Vols In 2015

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Oct 18, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) is tackled by Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trae Elston (7) during the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Mississippi Rebels defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Malone — Wide Receiver

2014 Stats: 23 receptions — 231 yards — 1 TD

When Josh Malone caught five passes for 75 yards against Ole Miss, you wouldn’t have been crazy to think the highly touted true freshman was about to break out in a big way.

But the former four-star high school recruit from Gallatin, TN only caught four passes over the final six games of the season.

There were several reasons for Malone’s lack of productivity. For one, he suffered a groin injury in mid-October that hampered him the rest of the season.

Most folks never even realized Malone was injured, until it was mentioned before the Vols’ bowl game against Iowa. A groin injury for a wide receiver (or any football player really, but especially one that makes their living running down the field every play) is no walk in the park and is definitely a huge reason why Malone didn’t put up better numbers.

But it wasn’t just the groin injury that held Malone back.

Malone is a receiver who is most dangerous when he’s stretching the field vertically. Unfortunately for Malone, that’s not something the Vols were able to do very well in 2014. A young offensive line and a immobile quarterback (to start the season) made throwing the ball down field almost impossible.

Hopefully for Malone, and the Vols, the vertical passing game will be a bigger part of the game plan in 2015. The offensive line should get better (t hey showed a lot of improvement over the second half of the 2015 season), which will give the quarterback more time to find open receivers.

And Josh Dobbs, the de facto starter at quarterback for Tennessee next season, should also improve. His scrambling ability will mean the Vols can play with a larger field than they were able to at times this past season.

But even if the vertical game still isn’t completely up to par next season, you should still see some improvement from Malone.

Remember how Josh Smith struggled as a freshman? Do you also remember how the coaching staff consistently had Smith’s back and let us all know how much they believed in him?

Well it’s the same deal with Malone. UT wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni doesn’t seem to be too worried about Malone’s future, recently saying “I love Josh Malone, he’s such a thoroughbred athlete. He told me he can’t wait to get going this off season”.

I think I’ll listen to the coaches on this one.