Vols Football: Report Card for Each Position in Tennessee’s 2015 Class
Sep 27, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Marquez North (8) catches a touchdown pass against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Tennessee 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B
Tennessee’s receiving corps was hit hard in 2014, losing three receivers to season-ending injuries throughout the year and having other contributors banged up for a significant amount of time. Because of that, freshmen Josh Malone and Vic Wharton had to play more as freshmen than coaches would have liked. Ethan Wolf was productive as a true freshman tight end, and Alex Ellis came on strong at the end of the season as well.
But the Vols need more consistency from their skill position players. Getting healthy will go a long way to fixing this, but Butch Jones and his staff looked to address some of that in recruiting as well.
Preston Williams, a consensus five-star wide receiver prospect, pledged his commitment to the Vols almost a year and half ago, and he’s been one of the highest-rated recruits in Tennessee’s 2015 class since the very beginning.
The 6-4, 191 lbs prospect from Hampton, Georgia has the skill set to succeed in the SEC as a physical receiver with great size and good speed. The only bad news for Williams is that he injured his ACL late in his senior season of high school, so that will set him back as a freshman, potentially holding him off the field in 2015.
Kyle Oliver is a three-star tight end/wide receiver out of middle Tennessee who brings athleticism to the tight end position. He may be moved to receiver depending on numbers, but he will be an asset on offense regardless of how he is used.
The Vols weren’t in desperate need of adding depth at receiver, but only adding one receiver in this class was a little disappointing, especially considering Von Pearson and Pig Howard will be gone after 2015 and Marquez North could be as well if he has a stellar season. But Preston Williams is a stud at receiver, and he certainly has a great amount of upside.
Kyle Oliver is a nice addition to Williams, but Williams’ injury may make him a non-factor in 2015, hurting this position’s grade considerably. Tennessee could’ve looked to add another receiver as insurance, but they missed out on their remaining targets down the stretch.