Tennessee football: Vols top five seniors for 2019 season
![LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/fe694e5cec0862fdc8e0fbbedb3f42b61e4d302bcbb5b806c3ff452a8ec4cbd2.jpg)
As Tennessee football’s leading receiver last year, Marquez Callaway came away with 37 receptions for 592 yards and two touchdowns. This year, with Jauan Jennings fully back, we have him moving to the No. 2 wideout slot. However, he is ahead of Jennings on this list because of other things he can do.
Jennings, as the ultimate gamer, makes the big plays and catches on offense. But Callaway is better with the ball in his hands, and he is also ridiculously athletic. That’s why his play as a return specialist puts him above Jennings. Callaway has two punt returns for a touchdown in his career, and he was the Vols’ only preseason media All-SEC player, on there specifically as a punt returner.
Delivering for the Vols as a returner and as a receiver makes Callaway one of the most important seniors on the team and slightly more important than Jennings. And he can also come through in clutch moments.
Like Jennings, Callaway has caught a Hail Mary touchdown pass. Remember the Kentucky Wildcats last year? Oh, and he also was key in a close win. Look back at his 115 yards and two touchdowns in UT’s double-overtime win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 2017. Overall that year Callaway had five touchdowns and 406 yards. He knows how to be elite.