Vols Welcome Back Cedric Tillman

Cedric Tillman returns to an explosive Volunteers offense with a stellar Hendon Hooker under center. His return could be the final piece Tennessee needs to finish out strong.

Vols Welcome Back Cedric Tillman

Amazing doesn’t even start to describe this season for the Tennessee Volunteers. This year the team is playing exceptionally well as they find themselves with a solid 7-0 start. The Vols are ranked 3rd in the nation and have earned their spot, as 4 of their 7 wins were against ranked opponents, including the 52-49 win over Alabama. With three conference wins already this season, the Vols are preparing to try and get their fourth against Kentucky.

Great news for the Vols is that stand-out wide receiver Cedric Tillman will be returning to play after missing 4 games recovering from surgery required by an injury sustained in Tennessee’s third game of the season against Akorn. The fifth-year senior will be yet another weapon for Hendon Hooker and an explosive Tennessee offense.

Cedric Tillman

Cedric Tillman has been with the Volunteers since the 2018 season, only seeing the field a handful of times prior to last year, in which he had a breakout season. Tillman’s 2021 campaign resulted in him getting 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and reaching the end zone 12 times.

The expectations for the senior were high, and he was seeming set to rise to them. In Tennessee’s second game of the season against Pitt, Tillman caught 9 receptions for 162 yards and scored a TD. Tillman’s receiving yards season total currently sits at 246, but with 5 games left in the regular season, you know that he will end up with plenty more.

Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee is having an amazing season, even having missed Tillman the past four games. Jaylen Hyatt has stepped up huge for the Vols as their leading receiver, while Bru McCoy, Ramel Keyton, and Squirrel White all took on more responsibilities in Tillman’s absence. The high-power offense has been led by Hendon Hooker, who is having another fantastic season in his second year as the QB for the Vols.

Hooker showed great promise at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee last year. He showed a high football IQ, only throwing 7 interceptions to his 22 TDs, while also proving to be a real threat on the ground picking up another 14 TDs on the ground in his two years of play for the Hokies.

However, since playing for the Vols, his game has elevated to an astronomical level. Last year he completed 206 of 302 for 2,945 yards scoring 31 TDs to 3 INTs. Yes, you read that right 3. This year he is 137 of 194 for 2,093 yards, 18 TDs to 1 lone INT. The guy is playing out of his mind and putting these Volunteers on his back, much to Nick Saban’s chagrin.

With the return of Tillman, look for Hooker to have a big day and look for lines to and passing props to reflect that. Even if Tillman isn’t 100%, he will have to be yet another piece of the puzzle that Kentucky’s defense will have to keep track of.