Senior wide receiver Pig Howard is one of the few offensive skill players left on Tennessee’s roster from the Derek Dooley era.
For me, personally, it’s almost hard to believe that Howard is leftover from the Dooley days.
That’s because Howard is the quintessential Butch Jones slot receiver.
In fact, Howard fits much better as a player on a Butch Jones roster then he did as a player on a Derek Dooley roster (though that’s probably true of almost anyone that plays football, but I digress).
Howard has seen his production increase each season during his time on Rocky Top. And while I believe Howard will once again be a focal point of the offense, I’m not sure his production will see the same increase as a senior.
That’s simply because the Vols have more weapons at their disposal this season. The running game, with Josh Dobbs at the helm from the start of the season and Alvin Kamara joining the fold, will be much more potent.
The Vols will also have wide receiver Josh Smith back in the mix and (hopefully) a healthy Marquez North.
But even with the added weapons, there’s no doubt that Howard is essential to Tennessee’s offense. I think he can improve on his 2014 numbers, but not by much.