Five Tennessee players that will benefit from Heupel hire
Tennessee has hired UCF’s Josh Heupel as its next coach to replace Jeremy Pruitt who was fired earlier this month. There is no question Heupel brings an offensive focus to Knoxville so here are five players that will benefit from the coaching change.
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MORE: VolQuest.com analysis | Five transfer portal players Tennessee needs
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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HARRISON BAILEY
The former five-star quarterback should now get his opportunity to throw the ball all over the field, use that arm to Tennessee’s advantage and not be held back in Heupel’s new offense. It should be a welcome sight for Bailey, who threw only 68 passes in six games during his freshman season. To compare, UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw the ball 398 times in 13 games this past season.
Bailey has some weapons in the passing game but if the offense isn’t designed to pressure the defense through the air then Bailey’s abilities won’t be utilized. That will change under Heupel.
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JABARI SMALL
Tennessee’s top two rushers look to be gone which means Small should have a much larger role in the Vols’ rushing attack after having only 26 carries for 117 yards and no scores last season.
The good news is that under Heupel last season there were three running backs who averaged more than five yards per carry a year ago. UCF threw the ball a lot but it also wisely used the run and that should benefit not only Small but a group of running backs that are coming to Knoxville in the 2021 recruiting class.
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VELUS JONES
Maybe no player has the possibility of a breakout season next year than Jones, who decided to return to Tennessee and could now be paid off big-time with Heupel running the show. He got his catches last season in chunks and is also a valuable return man and Heupel is crafty enough to get Jones the ball all over the field.
In 10 games, Jones only had 22 catches for 280 yards and three scores this past season, which was best for second in Tennessee’s woeful passing attack. This past season, UCF’s top two receivers had 71 and 55 catches, respectively.
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RAMEL KEYTON
A talented former teammate of Bailey at Marietta, Ga., Keyton was a Rivals250 prospect who picked the Vols over Auburn but has yet to break out in Tennessee’s offense. Really, no receivers have truly broken out as the team averaged just 21.5 points per game this past season.
Keyton has length, speed, playmaking ability and most everything else Heupel will look for from his receivers. After just nine catches in seven games this past season, Keyton could emerge as one of Bailey’s top targets.
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MALACHI WIDEMAN
Even as he was ranked No. 56 overall in the 2020 class, Wideman was considered a project because of his basketball background and his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. In 2020, Tennessee didn’t do much with him as the former high four-star who flipped from Florida State to play for the Vols had just one catch in six games.
Last season at UCF, someone with Wideman’s similar size – receiver Jacob Harris, 6-foot-5 and 211 pounds – had 30 catches for 539 yards and was second on the team with eight TDs. Wideman is a little longer and skinnier, but you get the point: Someone with his talent should be developed in Heupel’s offense more than he was under the old regime.