Tennessee football: 10 players to watch in Vols 2019 spring game

When he committed to Tennessee football within a month of Jeremy Pruitt accepting the Vols’ job, Dominick Wood-Anderson was considered a coup. A four-star junior college tight end was one of the first major splash pickups Pruitt was able to get. The fact that he picked UT amidst heavy recruiting from Nick Saban made it only sweeter for Rocky Top.

However, he did not have the big year as a receiving-heavy tight end that many people thought he would last year. He was still the Vols’ top receiver at the position, but he only had 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

This year, though, more is expected of him. As he enters his senior season, he needs to be the major complement to the Vols’ big receiving corps. One thing that could help that is playing for Jim Chaney instead of Tyson Helton. Chaney proved his last time in Knoxville, when he had Mychal Rivera, that he is willing to utilize receiving tight ends a lot in the passing game.

After Helton grossly underused him, see how much Chaney involves Wood-Anderson in the spring game. That will be a very telling sign for what the Vols look like on offense in the fall. Wood-Anderson should become a major option for Rocky Top in the passing game. Also, pay attention to how much his blocking has improved. If it’s taken a big leap, he could become an elite tight end.