Profiling Five-Star ATH Cameron Sparks At WR

Tennessee has been serious in its pursuit of 2025 five-star athlete Cameron Sparks (Chattanooga, Tenn.) since the beginning of his recruitment. Sparks plays for The Baylor School, located under two hours away from Tennessee's campus. He's made the trip to Knoxville several times and is quite interested in the Vols.

The Vols have been recruiting Sparks as a wide receiver from the beginning. The coaches offered him in June 2021 after an impressive showing at a camp in Knoxville. "Coach Heupel told me that even though he knows I'm still young, he can see the potential and my athletic ability, and what drew their attention was the way I could control my body and run," Sparks explained to Volunteer Country after the initial offer. "The main message I left with from Coach [Kodi] Burns and the staff was to realize that I have so much potential and to keep working and perfecting my craft."

Offensive analyst Kodi Burns works with the wide receivers at Tennessee. He and Sparks have built a close relationship over the past two years, and he's not the only member of the coaching staff that believes in Sparks at wide receiver. Sparks does play outside linebacker in high school and is being recruited by major college programs on defense. Though they could opt to stick him in the secondary, Tennessee sees more of a use for him as a pass catcher. We went to the tape and examined a potential fit in Tennessee's offense.

Sparks has a 6-3 and 210-pound frame as a high school junior. He already profiles as a physical specimen on the outside, likely fitting in as an X-receiver in Tennessee's system. He's actually got a similar frame to current Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy, who measures in at 6-3 and 220 pounds. While McCoy wins with physicality and strength, Sparks uses his graceful athleticism and short-area quickness to beat defensive backs.

One of the intriguing things about Tennessee's scheme is how it exploits coverages with different route concepts. These concepts allow receivers to work all over the field, something Sparks is used to. He plays in the slot at The Baylor School a lot, attacking zone coverages over the middle of the field. Sparks has an innate understanding of how defenses work, following through his concept while keeping his eyes open for any openings in the coverage.

The best part about Sparks's game out-wide is what he can do after the catch. He doesn't have real athletic limitations, as he often outruns defenders and certainly has the frame to power through defensive backs. He must continue loosening his hips if he wants to run a full route-tree in college, but Tennessee can get him up to speed quickly.

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