Early Look: Five Offensive Players Who Could Breakout in 2022 For the Vols

Tennessee is coming off of a 7-6 season in year one under Josh Heupel, which saw the offense light up the score board week after week and the undermanned Tennessee defense patch together one gritty performance after another. The Vols will look to take a step forward in year two under Heupel, and we take a look at five offensive players who were on the roster in 2021 who could benefit from the second year in the system and breakout in 2022.

Tackle Duo

Cade Mays is headed to the league which leaves a glaring need at the right tackle spot. Dayne Davis proved to be more than serviceable there in relief in 2021, and Jeremiah Crawford came on strong in the second half of the season. Both players' game continued to grow week-over-week under Glenn Elarbee. The upside is there for both of these guys, and they should benefit immensely from a full off-season of work. The competition at this spot will be one that is monitored from now until week one. Tennessee will sling the ball around against next fall, so both of these guys could drastically improve their own stock if they were to have a solid campaign. They will also enter the off-season knowing that the spot is theirs for the taking, and the competition should only make each better. Tennessee's staff used competition as a key motivator this past fall to stabilize their culture and they will use it to build even more this fall.

Jalin Hyatt

Hyatt flashed his potential in the Music City Bowl with three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. He looked confident working in the slot, and he is still one of Tennessee's more natural route runners, however, this off-season will be key for him. Going into year three on Rocky Top, Hyatt will need to put in the necessary work this off-season to take the next step. The door is wide open with the departure of Velus Jones Jr. and JaVonta Payton, and the No.2 spot in the Tennessee offense has Hyatt's name all over it. He bounced back from some early season drops this fall to close out 2021 nicely. A solid off-season lead up to the 2022 season could turn the latter into a breakout campaign for the former Palmetto State pass-catcher.

Princeton Fant

Fant is another Tennessee pass catcher that flashed his potential in Tennessee's overtime loss to Purdue in the Music City Bowl. He hauled in 3 receptions for 71 yards and showed that he can be an asset to the Vols in the passing game. This Tennessee offense will facilitate the ball to the tight ends even more, and Fant is under the direction of Alex Golesh, who has been phenomenal in developing tight ends year after year. His running mate at the position, Jacob Warren, should also benefit from another year under Golesh as well. For instance at Iowa State in 2018, Charlie Kolar caught 11 passes in his first season as the Cyclones primary tight end under Golesh. The following season, he exploded for 697 yards and 9 touchdowns on 57 receptions. Not to suggest that Fant will jump from 16 receptions in 2021 to 60 in 2022, but he is a versatile weapon for the Vols who should grow even more in a full off-season with this Tennessee staff.

Jaylen Wright

Tennessee's offense is so fast-paced that they will utilize more backs than anyone in the SEC in most games. That was not frequently evidenced this year due to injury at times which caused the Vols to employ two backs for most games. With the departure of Tiyon Evans, Jaylen Wright saw his role increase down the stretch, and he will have a chance to be the number two option in the backfield in 2022. It will not be easy as Len'Neth Whitehead flashed his ability at times, while freshmen Justin Williams and Dylan Sampson are both going to push for their carries as well. Wright will benefit from a full off-season learning from Jerry Mack and getting stronger and faster in the strength program. Keep in mind that he did not have a senior season in high school leading into his freshman season at Tennessee due to a COVID shutdown in North Carolina prep sports at the time. So there was some definite rust, but he is another key offensive skill player who can build on his 409 yards and four touchdown performance in 2021.