Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews was not a full participant in the Vols’ fourth practice of preseason, magnifying a depth issue at the position.
Matthews’ injury appeared minor and day to day. He wore a jersey, and he stretched on the side of the field. Chris Brazzell, UT’s most experienced receiver, remains out due to an unspecified injury.
That meant UT only had five healthy scholarship wide receivers at practice on Aug. 3. They included redshirt freshman Braylon Staley, redshirt freshman Amari Jefferson, freshman Travis Smith, freshman Radarius Jackson and freshman Joakim Dodson.
Among those five available scholarship receivers, only Staley has played in a college game. Jefferson, an Alabama transfer, missed the 2024 season due to injury.
UT must replace its top three receivers from last season. Dont’e Thornton was drafted in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders. Bru McCoy exhausted his eligibility and retired from football after fighting through injuries. Squirrel White transferred to Florida State.
UT has talent at wide receiver, but its inexperienced. Matthews was a five-star recruit, but he had only seven catches for 90 yards and two TDs last season. Staley had three catches for 21 yards.
Brazzell is the returning leader with 29 receptions for 333 yards and two TDs.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Source link : https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2025/08/03/mike-matthews-injury-adds-to-tennessee-football-wide-receiver-concerns/83815726007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-03 13:42:00
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