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Tennessee Vols 2015 Football Season Preview by Position: Wide Receiver

By Caleb Calhoun

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It is time to start previewing the Tennessee Vols 2015 football team at every position. Here is a look at the wide receiver situation.

Is Wide Receiver U back? That is the perception around the Tennessee Volunteers football team right now.

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But a more important question might be whether or not it ever left. Even in the down years the past few years, dating back to the Derek Dooley days, the Vols always had elite receivers, from Denarius  Moore to Gerald Jones to Da’Rick Rogers to Justin Hunter to Cordarrelle Patterson.

Now, going into this year, they have a plethora of receivers but were somehow thin at the position toward the end of last year thanks to injuries.

And the issues with Von Pearson also put a damper on the situation.

Still, Marquez North, Pig Howard, Josh Malone, and Jason Croom have all shown themselves to be elite receivers, and the addition of Preston Williams only helps matters if he can get healthy. Add in Johnathon Johnson, and you’ve got a deep receiving class.

So who’s going to take the reigns and be the go-to guy? Even with Butch Jones’s preference to spread it out, you can’t have all of these guys on the field at once, particularly with the desire to get the tight ends involved more.

Still, most of these guys have proven themselves, and others have tons of potential.

So let’s take a look at how the depth chart will stack up, assuming the base formation for Tennessee will include three receivers on the field.

Starters

Wideout No. 1: Marquez North, Junior (Charlotte, N.C.)

The real playmaker for the Vols, North showed himself to be an elite target his freshman year and was on his way to having a great sophomore campaign before injuries kept him out after the Alabama game.

North had a shoulder issue and before that spent the whole season with Justin Worley throwing him the ball, which, as we have already mentioned, was simply a bad fit for the offense last year.

Still, the 6’4″ 224 target had 30 catches for 320 yards and four touchdowns. So if he can return to form, his experience and raw talent should make him a favorite target throughout the year.

Wideout No. 2: Josh Malone, Sophomore (Gallatin, Tenn.)

Josh Malone did not live up to the hype centered around him his freshman year as a 6’3″ 200 pound target. That much is clear. But he did some nice things, catching 23 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. And the potential is still there.

Again, these wide receivers were in a tricky situation last year, and based on his size and abilities, there is still no reason to believe that Malone can’t be a superstar with the Vols in that offense going into this year. He will probably line up opposite of North for most of the season, which gives Joshua Dobbs two huge targets to choose between.

Slot Receiver: Pig Howard, Senior (Orlando, Fla.)

Amidst all the hype behind the elite Tennessee receivers, the leading receiver last year was Pig Howard as a 5’8″ slot guy. Howard did everything he was supposed to do, coming away with 54 catches for 618 yards and a touchdown.

And he was huge in the comeback against South Carolina, catching five passes for 109 yards. Howard is a slot receiver anybody would kill to have, and there is no question that he will be the main slot guy for the Vols going into this year. A first-team made up of North, Malone, and Howard should be exciting. But the only problem is that was supposed to be the first team last year.

Everybody Else

1. Jason Croom, Junior (Norcross, Ga.)

All of the hype is deservedly behind Marques North and Josh Malone, but don’t sleep on Jason Croom as a huge reliable target on the outside. The 6’5″ 230 pound receiver will spend a lot of time on the field as well.

Croom last year had 21 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and that all came despite battling injuries, which ended up sidelining him for the final two games of the year. If Croom can return to form, he’ll definitely see lots of action with everybody else.

2. Josh Smith, Junior (Knoxville, Tenn.)

Here the Vols actually have a normal sized receiver at 6’1″ 205 pounds. Smith is a reliable possession target and had 10 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown before going down against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Still, before then, Smith established himself as an over-achiever, and he deserves credit for that, so if he can get back to form, look for him to be a very solid target.

3. Preston Williams, Freshman (Hampton, Ga.)

He is only a freshman, but Preston Williams is a 6’3″ 185 pound target who should develop into a great player for the Vols. This year he will add depth to the receiver position, and look for him to come in and make a few plays throughout the year.

The potential behind Williams is incredible, and we should see some of that this year.

4. Johnathon Johnson, Senior (Friendswood, Texas)

If you’re looking for a backup slot guy, here you are. Johnathon Johnson is a veteran player who has seen some action when needed due to injuries at the position. The same thing could happen this year.

Despite his limitations, at 5’9″ 185 pounds he is very experienced and could definitely replace Howard in a few slot plays, so don’t count him out completely. He did have 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns last year.

Wait and See Player: Von Pearson, Senior (Newport News, Va.)

We don’t know what is going to happen with Von Pearson’s legal issues, which is why he was left off of this list. But if he happens to get back on the team, he will likely replace Preston Williams as the backup behind Jason Croom.

The 6’3″ 185 pound target was the No. 2 receiver on the team last year with 38 receptions for 393 yards and five touchdowns. If he comes back, he’ll be a valuable player, but North and Malone are still the leading wideouts, and there’s a good chance Croom surpassed him through practice.

But this is all wait-and-see with Pearson, so we are keeping him off the list for right now.

Final Take

The wide receivers at Tennessee are a deep, strong group of players who have not lived up to their potential yet. We continue to be excited about this bunch, as we should be, but it is time for them to show it.

Pig Howard has shown what he can do in the slot, and injuries definitely were a problem last year. But this year, with the quarterback and offensive line in better shape together than they’ve been since Butch Jones arrived, and with everybody healthy, the receiving corps. should be dominant throughout the year.

Combined with the elite running backs, Tennessee should have the best skill players in the SEC.

Next: Vols 2015 Football Season Preview by Position: Running Back

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