Making the Case: Which 2021 Offensive Signee Makes the Quickest Impact?

Making the Case: Which 2021 Offensive Signee Makes the Quickest Impact

The Josh Heupel era is underway at Tennessee. He benefits from having a solid 2021 recruiting class coming in with multiple early enrollees already on campus. The VR2 on SI staff takes a look at which 2021 signee they believe will make an immediate impact for the new look Volunteers, starting with the offensive side of the ball. 

Matt

Tiyon Evans feels like the obvious choice here given the huge loss of production from Tennessee's running back room. His skill set was going to put him on the field for Jeremy Pruitt's staff even if Eric Gray did not transfer to Oklahoma. So, I will let Brandon make a case for him below. Tennessee suffered losses in the transfer portal, with Jahmir Johnson and Wanya Morris opting for mid-west schools. This opens the door for recent signee Jeremiah Crawford to play early at Tennessee. He will play in the Spring season at his Junior College, which means barring injury, he should arrive at Tennessee in excellent shape. He has improved year after year, and he was the one guy Heupel and Elarbee honed in on after getting in place in Knoxville. He is the ideal lineman for their system, and he has the tools to make an early impact as a pass blocker for Tennessee, who will have to reshuffle its line heading into 2021. 

Brandon 

The Vols went through most of the recruiting cycle feeling that they were poised to have an exceptionally deep running back room. Now, after National Signing Day, the Vols still have good depth in the running back room but will have many carries to replace with the departures of Eric Gray to Oklahoma and Ty Chandler to North Carolina via the transfer portal. This means that Tennessee's running back signees have an opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact, potentially locking down a starting job. The early favorite to step into that role is Tiyon Evans, the top JUCO running back in the country. 

Evans has the power to run inside, the speed to get outside, the moves to shake defenders down in the open field, the strength to break tackles, and the hands to be a serious weapon in the passing game. Evans's skill set seems to align well with the offense that Heupel wants to install. That fit, along with the talent Evans brings, and the opportunity to lock down the job as the feature back for the Vols in his first year in Knoxville, gets Evans my vote to make the biggest impact on offense. 

Dale

With the new offensive scheme coming to Knoxville with Josh Heupel's hiring, Miles Campbell could see playing time early. Campbell has the size and skill set to flourish in this offense. At 6'3 and 235 pounds, he can be physical blocking in C-area but athletic enough to stretch the field vertically.  Campbell could really be a mismatch for LBs and DBs, as he works as a flex tight end. The skills he possesses  bodes well for his development under the tutelage of Alex Golesh.