Why Wide Receiver Is Tennessee's Biggest Remaining Need in 2016 Recruiting Class

The way Tennessee has recruited wide receivers the past few years, it seemed the pantry would always be stocked.

That's no longer the case.

With Pig Howard, Johnathon Johnson and currently suspended Von Pearson all set to exhaust their eligibility in 2015, the Vols are in dire need of pass-catchers.

Throw in the possibility that junior potential stud Marquez North—who has the physical attributes to leave early—could bolt, and hitting big on receivers in this recruiting cycle appears more vital than it has been in recent memory.

"I think wide receiver definitely is Tennessee's biggest remaining need in this class, simply based on the number of players the Vols still need to add at that position," GoVols247 recruiting writer Ryan Callahan told Bleacher Report. "I think they're still hoping to sign four receivers in this class, and they have plenty of targets left on their board who appear to be realistic possibilities."

When you want four receivers in a class that should only have around 17 members, that should tell you all you need to know regarding how big a need receivers are in this cycle.

Head coach Butch Jones noted on several occasions since the completion of the '15 class that running back would be the team's biggest need. So, why has that changed when the Vols haven't gotten a pledge from a 2016 running back?

The news this week that Joseph Young has qualified and enrolled in summer classes makes the ball-carrying situation much less of a concern. Fellow freshman John Kelly will join Young, Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara and senior transfer Ralph David Abernathy IV in the backfield this year.

While getting a runner or two remains a big need for depth purposes, UT is fine in the backfield barring something unexpected, such as Kamara having a huge third-year sophomore season and bolting for the NFL.

Receiver, on the other hand, is looking thin.

If the four players mentioned above are no longer a part of the Vols' 2016 roster, that would leave Jason Croom, Josh Smith, Josh Malone and Cody Blanc as upperclassman receivers. The first three in that group have plenty of ability, but none has shown the stuff to be a go-to target.

It does help matters that the Vols have elite 4-star prospect Preston Williams coming in this year as a 6'4", 191-pound receiver who has displayed a ton of promise. He already is recovering nicely from a knee injury that cost him the second part of his senior season.

In-state speedster Vincent Perry and local product Jocquez Bruce are less-heralded prospects of the '15 class who should also play receiver for the Vols.

That trio pushes the bodies at the position up to a respectable number of seven, and there's always the possibility that North will play all four years since he hasn't shown consistency as a game-breaker yet in his career.

But the fact remains: The Vols need targets for Joshua Dobbs' final season on Rocky Top.

As Callahan stated above, plenty of options have mutual interest with UT.

The Vols have already filled one of those four spots in the class with 6'1", 170-pound 3-star prospect Corey Henderson of Shreveport, Louisiana. Though he isn't highly rated, he had some solid offers early in the process from Arizona State, Arkansas, Miami, TCU, Utah and Tulsa.

Still, the Vols need much more help than just Henderson.

The most realistic current option for Tennessee appears to be 6'6", 190-pound Dodge City (Kansas) Community College target Jeff George. He has an offer and told Callahan following a recent visit to UT that the Vols are "probably my top school."

Getting a player with George's size who can step right in and make an immediate impact would be a nice addition to the recruiting class.

Credit: 247Sports

Perhaps UT's top target at receiver (and one of the Vols' top targets in the entire class) is Elberton, Georgia, athlete Mecole Hardman. The 5'11", 173-pound playmaker is being recruited as a wideout for the Vols and as a defensive back by Georgia, his other current favorite.

Though the Vols led early for his services, it should be concerning how well Bulldogs coach Mark Richt is doing inside the Peach State borders. Several prospects are trying to keep Hardman in the state.

A recent development that could prove beneficial to UT's receiver recruiting is Southern Cal filling up at the position. That may leave the Vols as the favorite for Citra, Florida, receiver Freddie Swain, who was thought to be leaning toward the Trojans.

Currently, 75 percent of 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections favor the Vols for Swain's pledge. The 6'0", 172-pound receiver has a strong offer sheet that includes USC, Miami, Alabama and Arkansas.

Diondre Overton also has consistently mentioned Tennessee and Clemson as the top two schools who are the favorites to earn his signature.

Beyond that group, there's a litany of receivers who have mutual interest with the Vols—too many to mention.

Name	Ht./Wt.	Hometown	Rating	Position Rank
Mecole Hardman	5'11", 173	Elberton, Georgia	4-star	No. 7 ATH
Jeff George	6'6", 185	Dodge City, Kansas	NR	NR
Freddie Swain	6'0", 172	Citra, Florida	4-star	No. 46 WR
Ahmir Mitchell	6'3", 206	Egg Harbor City, New Jersey	4-star	No. 6 ATH
Diondre Overton	6'5", 194	Greensboro, North Carolina	4-star	No. 15 WR
Kyle Davis	6'3", 211	Lawrenceville, Georgia	4-star	No. 6 WR
Donnie Corley	6'2", 180	Wyandotte, Michigan	4-star	No. 17 WR
Rontavius Groves	5'11", 175	Nashville, Tennessee	3-star	No. 61 WR
Eric Kumah	6'3", 205	Woodbridge, Virginia	3-star	No. 79 WR
Freddie Pinder	6'5", 195	Miami, Florida	3-star	No. 83 WR

With Zach Azzanni as the position coach, recruiting receivers hasn't been an issue. That likely won't be a concern in the 2016 cycle, either.

The start to this recruiting cycle may not be as frenetic as the past couple of classes, but there are so many quality, uncommitted prospects out there that it's difficult to envision UT getting left out when it comes to securing marquee receivers.

With new names popping up and some of the country's top players at the position mentioning the Vols, the list of potential class-fillers is long. 

That's good, because UT needs to sign some impact pass-catchers, or numbers are going to be concerning soon.

All observations gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information obtained from 247Sports.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.