Tennessee football: Wyoming transfer Isaiah Neyor gives Vols major size advantage at WR

Look out. Tennessee football may be impossible to guard at wideout next year. It started with Cedric Tillman, their best receiver from 2021, making the decision to return instead of going to the NFL. He stands at 6’3″ 215 pounds and caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Now, the Vols have added one of the most coveted transfer wide receivers out there. Isaiah Neyor, who just completed his redshirt sophomore season with the Wyoming Cowboys, has now transferred to UT with three years of eligibility remaining.

After redshirting in 2019 and catching just eight passes for 248 yards in 2020, Neyor had a breakout year in 2021, catching 44 passes for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns while also rushing for 23 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He announced his decision to join Tennessee football Saturday afternoon on Twitter.

Given the departure of JaVonta Payton, who played wideout despite his 6’1″ 180-pound frame and was specifically used for big plays in the passing game, Josh Heupel was clearly looking for more experience at that position to complement Tillman. He found it in Neyor.

Just like Tillman, Neyor stands at 6’3″, but that’s not the only way they are similar. Neyor was also a two-star on Rivals coming out of high school, which was one year after Tillman came out. In fact, Neyor was a two-stat on 247Sports as well, whereas Tillman was a three-star there. Neither was rated on ESPN.

A graduate of Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, Neyor weighs 210 pounds. With both of these guys now on the roster, Hendon Hooker could have two physical 6’3″ guys to throw the ball to on either side next year, which will be a huge advantage for the Vols in the passing game. They may be impossible to guard.

Don’t forget the receivers already on the roster. Ramel Keyton is still there, and Charles Nimrod and Kaleb Webb, two of their four 2022 commitments at receiver, are 6’3″ and 6’4″ respectively. As a result, Heupel’s passing game could be loaded with size at wideout that nobody can guard.

Of course, the versatility is still there as well with both Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren returning at tight end, likely four of five starting offensive linemen back and Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright and Len’Neth Whitehead returning at running back. Replacing Velus Jones Jr. as the speedy slot guy is the one issue for Heupel right now.

However, Heupel has plenty of options to replace Jones. Jalin Hyatt showed promise at times this year playing that role, and Jimmy Calloway could also do it. Remember that Andison Coby and Walker Merrill are still on the roster as well.

Simply put, Tennessee football lis loaded at receiver. Neyor, however, makes sure they will have a size advantage with proven receivers on both sides of the ball. As a result, their offensive attack should be incredible next year, especially with them playing in Heupel’s system. This is a huge pickup for UT no matter how you look at it.