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Tennessee football: Velus Jones Jr. on Paul Hornung watch list

By Caleb Calhoun

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Velus Jones Jr. #23 of the USC Trojans runs the ball down field during the NCAA college football game against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Velus Jones Jr. #23 of the USC Trojans runs the ball down field during the NCAA college football game against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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The USC Trojans transfer wide receiver for the Tennessee football Volunteers is getting 2020 preseason recognition.

Despite replacing Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway, Tennessee football still has a wide receiver who is on a preseason watch list. In this case, he is a graduate transfer who left the USC Trojans to join the Vols.

Rising senior Velus Jones Jr. was named to the Paul Horning Award 2020 preseason watch list Wednesday. The award, created in 2010, is presented annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to recognize a player for his versatility.

Last year’s winner was Lynn Bowden Jr. of the Kentucky Wildcats, who started the season at receiver but had to move over to quarterback due to a slew of injuries. The award tweeted out all the candidates on the preseason watch list Thursday afternoon.

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Standing at 6’0″ 202 pounds, Jones comes to Rocky Top as a kickoff returner and a potentially speedy slot receiver. Initially a product of Saraland High School in Saraland, Ala., he was a kickoff returner and a slot receiver for three years at USC.

Over those three years, Jones returned 81 kickoffs and averaged 24 yards a return. In 2019, he returned 29 kickoffs, averaged 24.3 yards per return and ran one back. As a receiver, he caught 36 passes for 347 yards and a touchdown in three years, and he also had a rushing touchdown. His best year was 2018, when he caught 24 passes for 266 yards and scored both his touchdowns.

Although Josh Palmer, Brandon Johnson and Ramel Keyton are projected to be the go-to wideouts, Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney could definitely use some speed in the slot to mix things up. They are likely to turn to Jones to do just that, and it seems pretty obvious that he will be a focus for the Vols in the return game.

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Because of those two things, Tennessee football will likely give him numerous chances to showcase his versatility, which is necessary to win this award. He appears to be another elite weapon added to the program.

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