Volunteer Country

Two Tennessee Volunteers Selected to Have Breakout Seasons in 2025

Two Tennessee wide receivers were selected as candidates to have a breakout season in 2025, potentially.
Jonathan Williams|
Tennessee wide receiver Braylon Staley (14) warms up before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Tennessee wide receiver Braylon Staley (14) warms up before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

Two Tennessee wide receivers were selected as candidates to have a breakout season in 2025, potentially.

The Tennessee Volunteers will be introducing quite a few new names on offense this season. Perhaps the most important names, outside of quarterback, are the new wide receivers they will be wokring in this season. Both Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are set to be contributors on offense this season and both have been labeled as breakout candidates.

ESPN recently released an article ranking the top 10 most likely second-year players to have breakout seasons this year, and both Matthews and Staley were listed at No. 5.

"Yes, we are hedging our bet with this pick. We expect Matthews or Staley to break out this year as a top SEC receiver," Billy Tucker wrote. "Who that will be depends on who stays healthy, as both have been injury prone. They both have flashed as well. Matthews is as expected. Sudden and elusive after the catch, the No. 5 wide receiver in the ESPN 300 headlined the Vols' No. 15 class. Staley was inside the top 300 but as the No. 21 receiver. A former state champion in the 200 meters and triple jump, Staley, who redshirted last season, has excellent short-area quickness, explosive movements and elite ball skills. This WR room needs to produce for the Vols to return to the College Football Playoff."

Neither one of Matthews or Staley had over 100 receiving yards, but Matthews came the closest with seven receptions for 90 yards. There isn't a whole lot that is known about either wide receiver just yet, but one thing that is known is that both need to be factors for Tennessee this season on offense.

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Jonathan Williams
JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Jonathan Williams is a multimedia sports journalist who graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. He has multiple years of experience in covering college football for a variety of teams

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