Tennessee football still has options at wideout after transfer WR flips to Texas

There’s no point pretending Tennessee football didn’t lose a valuable target on Thursday. That would make no sense after we wrote less than two weeks ago about how much of an advantage Isaiah Neyor gave the Vols when he initially transferred from the Wyoming Cowboys to UT.

On Thursday, Neyor, who caught 44 passes for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 23 yards and another touchdown last year, flipped his commitment from the Vols to the Texas Longhorns. Standing at 6’3″ 210 pounds, he has three years of eligibility left.

Given Cedric Tillman’s return next year, Tennessee football had a lot to look forward to with the arrival of Neyor, as they could have had a huge size advantage at wideout. From that perspective, the loss is a letdown. Neyor revealed he signed with Texas on Twitter.

Despite that letdown, which is compounded by the fact that the Vols need somebody to replace JaVonta Payton opposite Tillman, this isn’t panic mode. Josh Heupel still has plenty of options at the other wideout spot, even with Andison Coby’s and Kaemen Marley’s recent entries into the transfer portal.

Don’t forget that Ramel Keyton is still on the roster. He was once a four-star, he also stands at 6’3″ and he does have 20 catches for 252 yards in three years. With a chance to start, he could become a breakout star on his own. Beyond Keyton, there’s the chance that Walker Merrill takes over on the outside.

Then there’s Tennessee football’s 2021 recruiting class. Kaleb Webb, a four-star across the board, is listed between 6’3″ and 6’4″ across all services. Cameron Miller is listed in the range of 6’1″ to 6’2″ and is a four-star on Rivals and ESPN. Chas Nimrod is listed in the range of 6’1″ to 6’3″, but he’s a three-star across all services.

Still, when you look at those three guys together, one of them is bound to be able to step up and become another threat at wideout. Finally, though, guys who may be candidates to line up in the slot as the speedy wide receiver to replace Velus Jones Jr. could line up outside.

Look at Jalin Hyatt. He’s only 6’0″ 175, but he lined up at wideout under Jim Chaney, and he appears to have unique abilities despite his limited size. If he doesn’t line up in the slot, he could line up outside while Jimmy Calloway, who definitely showed potential backing up Jones, could line up in the slot.

Heck, Heupel could still have depth in the slot and never have to move Hyatt over if Jimmy Holiday works out, and again, Merrill could play in that role as well along with Miller, Nimrod or another commitment in the 2022 class, Marquarius White. There are plenty of ways for Heupel, Alex Golesh and Kodi Burns to mix and match guys.

Simply put, Tennessee football is fine at wide receiver even with these recent departures. Yes, Neyor is one that hurts, as did Marley’s departure, and you wonder if Coby would have left had he know Neyor was leaving. However, Tillman is still coming back, and the Vols are still deep here, so there’s no reason to panic.