6. Involve tight ends in the passing game.
All offseason last year, we heard about Eli Wolf making headway. Then came junior college transfer Dominick Wood-Anderson. Add in Austin Pope, and the feeling was that Tennessee football would have a huge advantage when it came to tight ends last year.
However, all three of them combined had three receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Pope could’ve made it a fourth, but he fumbled his one reception out of the back of the end zone against the Florida Gators.
Anyway, that wasn’t acceptable. As much as we said the Vols need to establish a slot guy, they also need to establish the threat of the tight ends in the passing game. With such issues on the offensive line, their biggest advantage right now on offense is going to be spreading the field, and Jim Chaney has experience with that.
This past year, Isaac Nauta alone had 30 receptions with the Georgia Bulldogs for 430 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a 31-yard touchdown run against the Vols after recovering a fumble that Darrell Taylor forced.
In his last stint on Rocky Top, Chaney was able to incorporate Mychal Rivera into the offense. That was a huge reason the Vols were so good on that side of the ball. This year, he’s got a great receiving tight end in Wood-Anderson. So it’s time to use him. That is what will make the Vols passing game top-notch. There’s another way to focus on them as well, which leads to our next point on this list.