Tennessee football’s top five seniors of 2022
6'3 215 lbs. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Wide receiver. Cedric Tillman. 1. player
Last year’s breakout star, Cedric Tillman returns as Tennessee football’s go-to wideout to continue what he and Hendon Hooker already built.
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While Byron Young is Tennessee football’s only First Teamer on both the media and coaches All-SEC teams, it’s egregious that Cedric Tillman wasn’t on both. He’s First Team Coaches and Second Team Media Preseason All-SEC. However, he’s the best returning receiver in the conference.
Tillman joined Tennessee football in 2018 and was as low as a two-star recruit on some services. He took a redshirt that year and then saw minimal action in 2019 and 2020. With Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway, Josh Palmer and Brandon Johnson all leaving and clearing the way for young talent, nobody expected Tillman to fill that void.
Ramel Keyton and Jalin Hyatt were supposed to be the stars. Well, last year, with Velus Jones Jr. still keeping Hyatt out of the slot position, Tillman broke out. He caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter two of which are both top four all-time in single seasons for UT.
This year, Tillman is the first returning 1,000-yard receiver to the Vols since Kelley Washington in 2002, and Washington got hurt that year, only playing four games. Assuming Tillman stays healthy, there’s no reason to not believe he can build on those numbers, especially with Hendon Hooker starting a full season.
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It was a big deal this past offseason when Tillman decided to come back to Tennessee football. Despite being a fifth-year senior, he actually has two years of eligibility left, but if he does what he should do, there’s no way he’s coming back for 2023.