Tennessee football’s top five options to replace Velus Jones Jr.

Speed is the calling card for Marquarius White, making the 2022 Tennessee football commitment a deadly threat in multiple ways.

Sticking with speedy players who could see lots of action on special teams, Marquarius “Squirrel” White is another early enrollee to Tennessee football as part of the 2022 recruiting class. Although he was a three-star on almost every service, On3 did have him as a four-star, so there is clearly a level of potential that just needs to be tapped into.

Josh Heupel can tap into that potential among receivers better than anybody. White’s size is holding him back, but his elite speed keeps him in the fold. He clocked in a 4.3 40 while in high school, and that’s likely only gotten better since he’s reached college.

More importantly, on the field, White drew eyeballs in spring ball. Heupel mentioned him specifically after the Vols’ first scrimmage as a playmaker, which was a huge deal given the limited amount of experience he had going into that day. It had to be a sign of things to come.

It seems to be a pretty safe bet that White will become a playmaker for the Vols sooner rather than later. Does that mean him becoming one this year? If he does, he’ll be replacing one of the voids Jones left, and there’s a strong possibility he does just that, particularly in the return game. As a result, he belongs on this list.