'Forgotten' Vol could be in for a big season in Tennessee's offense in 2024

There's been plenty of talk this offseason about the Tennessee Vols' deep group of wide receivers.

Tennessee returns Squirrel White, Bru McCoy, and Dont'e Thornton. And they added Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell as well as true freshmen Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. It's a loaded group and it'll be interesting to see how the playing time shakes out.

Those players, however, aren't the only wide receivers on the roster that could contribute in a big way this fall.

Tennessee also returns redshirt sophomores Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod.

Webb caught 16 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown last season while Nimrod caught 19 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.

Earlier this week, Vols head coach Josh Heupel was specifically asked about Nimrod. And the fourth year Tennessee head coach sounded excited about the progress that the Arkansas native has made this offseason.

“He’s done an unbelievable job," said Heupel. "One of the guys that we recognized during the course of our meetings yesterday -- just the summer that he’s had, how he’s transformed his body. It’s his body composition, it’s his muscle mass. It’s what he did in the weight room, hitting PRs. He’s a guy that’s going into Year 3, his understanding of what we’re doing offensively, the ability to play inside, play outside, play with speed, be decisive, be on the same page with the quarterback, coverage recognition – really excited about his growth and development in our program."

Nimrod should be extremely comfortable in the offense as he enters his third year with the program. And while he wasn't a highly rated player coming out of high school, he's demonstrated that he can be successful in the SEC.

I know Vols fans are excited about Squirrel, Bru, Thornton, Brazzell, and the two true freshmen (and they should be). But don't sleep on Nimrod. He could easily be a surprise breakout player for Tennessee in 2024.

Related: Quote from Nico Iamaleava shows why Vols fans should no longer worry about a big issue that plagued Tennessee in 2022 and 2023