Tennessee football is well underway in its Fall Camp ahead of the 2025 season, but some questions remain regarding one important position group. It's not the quarterbacks, it's not the secondary, it's the wide receivers that could hold back this year's team.
Veteran receivers Mike Matthews and Chris Brazzell have yet to fully participate in practice due to injuries. Both players could be major players for Tennessee's offense this year, but without them, Tennessee could be slim in the receiver room.
Matthews had a quiet Freshman season. He appeared in 11 games but only had seven receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Brazzell had 29 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns over 13 games in his Redshirt Sophomore season. Vols fans were waiting for both players to take off last year, but it never really happened for either player.
Each receiver is in its second year in the offensive system, setting up a potential breakout year for at least one of them this season.
Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Adam Sparks added to the concerns, sharing that Tennessee only has five receivers on scholarship fully participating in practice so far this Fall.
Mike Matthews sidelined at Tennessee practice, adding to depth concerns at wide receiver.
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) August 3, 2025
The Vols had only five healthy scholarship WRs at practice Sunday (and four of them have never played).https://t.co/oUZdGnP7di
If Boo Carter resolves his issues with the team and rejoins the offense, Josh Heupel immediately adds a dynamic playmaker at receiver without having to rush back Matthews and Brazzell.
Until Carter, Matthews, and Brazzell rejoin the offense, Tennessee is limited at wide receiver, with mostly freshmen receiving perimeter reps.
While their absence could cause issues, especially when coaches have to determine who should be the Vols' starting quarterback this year, it is also too early to hit the panic button.
We know Matthews and Brazzell will eventually rejoin the offense, adding two explosive playmakers to the offense. Until then, their absence from getting full-time reps opens the door for five freshmen to receive valuable reps early in their careers.
Braylon Staley (Redshirt Freshman), Radarious Jackson (Freshman), Travis Smith Jr. (Freshman), and Amari Jefferson (Redshirt Freshman) are battling for reps, and we could see at least one of those names rise up the depth chart ahead of Week One.
The youth at the receiver position could be a significant part of the reported issues from Fall Camp so far. There have been a lot of drops reported from the first few practices, but once Tennessee's wide receiver room is at full strength, expect the number of drops to start dropping.
There are still many questions surrounding the wide receiver room and what it could look like heading into the season. Their ability to mesh with whoever the starting quarterback will be and make plays on the perimeter could determine how explosive Tennessee's offense will be this year.
Tennessee's receiver room is young, with or without Brazzell and Matthews, as it features only three upperclassmen in the position group. Brazzell is the only upperclassman expected to be an impact player this year, leaving a lot of responsibility to Matthews, the lone sophomore, and a handful of freshmen.
Despite that, and the issues with drops early in practice, there aren't many reasons to panic quite yet. The young guys are finding their groove in the new offense, while the more experienced players returnign to the offense are preparing for their return.