Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should redshirt for 2022
Wide receiver. Ramel Keyton. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. Senior. 1
Cedric Tillman coming back limited Ramel Keyton’s chance to be Tennessee football’s go-to wideout. Redshirting for a year gives him that chance in 2023.
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It’s crazy to think about Ramel Keyton and Cedric Tillman having the same profile but Keyton being so much more highly touted when he committed to Tennessee football as a four-start out of Georgia in 2019 only to see Tillman become the breakout star. However, at 6’3″ 195 pounds, Keyton has shown his potential in the past.
The problem is that Tillman coming back for another year limits what Keyton can do. He has to compete with USC transfer Bru McCoy and potentially Jalin Hyatt and Jimmy Calloway, depending on who wins the slot receiver spot, for the No. 2 wideout spot.
As a result, the graduate of Marietta High School in Cobb County, Ga., would do well to wait for Tillman to leave. Keyton is a senior with two years of eligibility left. There’s a chance he’s buried in the depth chart this year, and then he enters his last year of eligibility hoping to win a starting job.
With 20 catches for 252 yards and no touchdowns over three years, the possibilities of production are there. They just haven’t been put on display yet. Keyton is a physical receiver, though, who could immediately fill the void Tillman will inevitably leave next year.
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If Keyton redshirts this year, he can compete for that job next year, and despite Tennessee football being loaded at receiver, he’ll have a chance to become the No. 1 wideout. If he’s that or even the No. 2 wideout, he’ll at least then know he has a safe role for 2024. Otherwise, it’ll be too late if he wants to transfer out to have a chance to play his last year.