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Tennessee Football: Can Josh Palmer replace Jauan Jennings in production?

By Colton Pickard

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Josh Palmer #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Josh Palmer #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Football will look for its next great wide receiver in 2020. Can Josh Palmer be the guy for the Vols?

Tennessee football will be without Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway for the 2020 season. Those two served as the Vols’ top two receivers on offense for the past couple of seasons, so Tennessee will need to find someone to step up in their place.

For that to happen, you have to ask yourself, is there anyone on the roster right now that can replace either of those guys?

Well, if we’re talking about the fight and toughness in Jennings, then probably not. There are very few players that play like Jennings, especially at wide receiver. If we’re talking about numbers, then maybe.

Jim Nagy has his eye on a senior wide receiver for the Vols to take over the WR1 duties and it’s a guy who only had one touchdown last season.

https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1287367322991308801

For a player who has only had 1,039 career receiving yards and three career receiving touchdowns, Josh Palmer doesn’t seem like the likely candidate to have a breakout season. His best year came two years ago where he had 484 receiving yards. Last season he finished the year with 457 receiving yards.

The blame for the lack of production can’t fall onto Palmer’s shoulders entirely, though. It can’t be easy being a supporting cast member to Jennings and Callaway knowing that you won’t get the ball very often.

That will be the difference this season, Jennings and Callaway are gone so there’s no one to prevent Palmer from being the top receiver in the offense. There will still be competition coming after Palmer’s spot on the depth chart.

Brandon Johnson will likely be WR2 unless one of the younger guys, Velus Jones Jr. or Ramel Keyton, steps up and tries to earn the starting job.

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Regardless of what’s happening around Palmer, people are going to expect him to step up and be the leader in the clubhouse for the receivers and he will have to carry that onto the field this fall.

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