Tennessee football: Top 10 out-of-state Vols on 2020 roster

Hometown: Bramton, Ont. (Canada)

With the losses of Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway and even Dominick Wood-Anderson and Tyler Byrd, it’s clear the Vols need help at receiver more than anywhere else. They have loaded up at that position on the recruiting trail.

Beyond that, Brandon Johnson’s redshirt is lifted, Deangelo Gibbs will be eligible, Velus Jones Jr. is a graduate transfer, Miles Jones is another transfer who may play, and Ramel Keyton and Cedric Tillman are also returning producers. So there are plenty of options here.

However, Josh Palmer is the one standout returning wideout. We were serious when we talked about Tennessee football turning to players from outside the country for 2020, and Palmer, a Canadian, is from Ontario but was recruited out of South Florida. He went to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Now, it is his time to shine at 6’2″ 200 pounds. Over the past two years, he’s been an elite No. 3 receiver, catching 57 passes for 941 yards and scoring four total touchdowns from scrimmage. He has over 1,000 yards for his career. In fact, he was actually second on the team in receiving yards in 2018, as Jennings spent the first half of that year getting back into football shape.

This season, though, he is the only proven returner who contributed at a high level last year. Johnson last contributed at a high level in 2017. As a result, Palmer is likely to be the go-to receiver, and he’ll be taking Rocky Top international if that’s the case.