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Tennessee football: What Kaemen Marley at WR, Julian Nixon at TE means for Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel calls at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel calls at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game /

1. Offense is the focus for the program.

Nobody is really shocked by this statement. Tennessee football hired Josh Heupel because of his offensive prowess, and the spring game showed just how much of a focus the team would have on that side of the ball this year.

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However, moving Kaemen Marley over to offense confirms that thought. In a similar fashion to Marley, the Vols added two four-star athletes in Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor back in their 2018 class. That was Jeremy Pruitt’s first year on the job. Pruitt immediately put both of them at cornerback, and neither has ever looked back.

Marley, who committed to Pruitt, likely would have been moved to safety had Pruitt still been head coach. However, Heupel saw more potential with him playing wide receiver, so that’s where he’s starting out this fall camp.

It’s clear that an athlete like Marley moving there means Heupel prefers using his best athletes to score points, not to prevent scores. Sure, Christian Charles was an athlete, and he moved to defensive back in the spring, but he doesn’t come with as much hype as Marley, and he’s much more meant to play defensive back.

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Heupel could have put Marley on either side of the ball, but he chose offense. This is indicative of where Tennessee football is headed going forward, and buckle up. It may not translate to wins early on, but once again, it’ll be entertaining.

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