Tennessee football’s five biggest spring practice position battles for 2022
1. Wide receiver
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The only reason Tennessee football didn’t suffer as much roster turnover at wide receiver as it did at defensive tackle is because Cedric Tillman, their top producer at the position, is back. However, No. 2 wideout JaVonta Payton and slot receiver Velus Jones Jr. are both gone, so Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh have plenty of work to do to find their new rotation.
With new receivers coach Kelsey Pope taking over for Kodi Burns, the race is even more intriguing. This position is No. 1 for spring practice because everybody who would play receiver for the Vols in 2022 is already on the roster. That includes all commitments and returning talent.
Jimmy Calloway, Jalin Hyatt, Walker Merrill, Jimmy Holiday and Ramel Keyton are among the returning guys who could fill the voids. Then you have true freshmen Kaleb Webb, Marquarius “Squirrel” White, Chas Nimrod and Cameron Miller. White and Holiday are pure slot guys, and Webb, Keyton and Nimrod are all pure wideouts.
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Calloway, Hyatt, Merrill and Miller could both play either role. As a result, Tennessee football’s race here isn’t just about who occupies the positions. It’s about the rotation the coaches decide to go with. They could rely on pure size and use three wideouts, or they could go for a couple of slot guys with just Tillman. Spring ball will begin to address this.