Pig Howard Is The Vols’ Most Underrated Player

If you asked most Tennessee fans to name the Vols’ most important players, you’d likely hear responses such as Josh Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, Marquez North, Cam Suttton and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

And while it’s impossible to argue with those names, there are undoubtedly some other names that are equally important to the Volunteers’ success.

Among those names is senior wide receiver Pig Howard.

You’d be hard pressed to find a player that’s been as consistent as Howard, since the arrival of Butch Jones on Rocky Top.

Howard doesn’t dazzle. He doesn’t have the speed of a Josh Malone, the size of a Jason Croom or the “total package” like Marquez North. He’s not as great in the open field as Von Pearson and he’s certainly not as flashy as Preston Williams (who will arrive on campus later this summer).

But Howard has put up better numbers than all of those guys.

Howard, who is 13th on the all-time receptions list at Tennessee, has led the Vols in catches the past two seasons (44 in 2013, 54 in 2014).

In 2014, Howard not only led UT in receptions, but he also led the team in receiving yards with 618 (he also had one receiving touchdown and two rushing touchdowns).

While those aren’t jaw dropping numbers by any means, they are a great example of how consistent Howard has been in Jones’ offense.

It’s quite surprising that Howard doesn’t receive more attention, considering he’s outplayed his wide receiver counterparts that have received much more attention than himself.

But that’s Pig Howard for you. He’s a keep-your-head-down-and-go-to-work kind of guy.

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Howard doesn’t beg for attention. He doesn’t need the spotlight. In fact, he’s the opposite of what you’d expect in a wide receiver, a position that’s typically associated with the word “diva”.

Because of that kind of attitude, it’s easy to forget, at times, that Howard is one of Tennessee’s most important pieces in the offense.

Tennessee will have no shortage of offensive weapons in 2015 and it’s likely that Howard will once again be one of the least talked about parts of the Vols’ offense.

However, there’s little doubt that Tennessee will continue to lean on the senior from Orlando, FL.

If the Vols are going to contend for the SEC East in 2015, Pig Howard will (quietly) be a huge reason why.