Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should have breakout seasons in 2021

6’3″ 195 pounds; Hometown: Marietta, Ga.

Another solid group of receivers in this year’s recruiting class plus the emergence of one freshman last year and another returning player in the spring, both of whom we’ll get to, seemed to push Ramel Keyton down the list of receivers. However, he’s a valuable wideout given his size for Josh Heupel’s system, so don’t overlook him.

Remember, Keyton was once a four-star recruit out of Georgia in Tennessee football’s 2019 class. Although his production dropped from 104 total yards as a freshman to 76 yards last year, you can’t judge receivers by what was happening in the Vols’ offense in 2020.

We should also note that Keyton was once a teammate of Harrison Bailey’s at Cobb County’s Marietta High School. As a result, if Bailey wins the job, there could be a rapport that allows Keyton to explode onto the scene as a go-to wideout.

Obviously, Heupel’s system requires lots of receivers to rotate in and out. Few of them have the size and athletic abilities that Keyton has. Although other receivers are drawing more hype, it’s entirely possible that he becomes a star, and if he doesn’t he could at least become a solid contributor for the Vols this year and see his production increase dramatically.