Josh Heupel comments on Vols WR Dont'e Thornton's development

Thornton, despite his impressive size/speed combination, hasn't made the impact at Tennessee so far this season that many fans were expecting. The former Duck has caught just seven passes for 89 yards this season (Thornton didn't play against South Carolina and he played only 18 snaps against Texas A&M last weekend). 

Injuries, which haven't been a big topic of discussion when it comes to Thornton, are the biggest reason why the obviously talented wide receiver hasn't put up big numbers just yet for the Vols. 

Not only has Thornton missed time during the 2023 season, but he missed valuable time during spring and fall practice. 

Tennessee's offense takes some time for wide receivers to learn (they have to be on the same page as the quarterback when it comes to reading defenses). And Thornton hasn't had nearly enough time on the field to get comfortable in the offense, which is something that Vols head coach Josh Heupel alluded to during Vol Calls on Wednesday night. 

"We were able to get him going a little bit last week during the course of practice," said Heupel. "He got some action last Saturday, but the plan is to continue to have him increase his role and what he’s doing. He’s a young guy that missed a bunch of time in the spring. And he missed a bunch of time in training camp. Hadn’t had a lot of opportunities just to get on the practice field within the scope of what we’re doing."

"He’s only going to continue to get better," added Heupel. "A kid that’s grown in his confidence and understanding of what we’re doing. I love his energy in the building and on the practice field. And again, I believe he’s got a great future. And we’re going to need him this week, but we’re going to need him throughout the course of the season, too.”

I wouldn't sleep on Thornton making a big impact for Tennessee in the second half of the season. He's going to be a weapon for the Vols at some point once he gets comfortable in Tennessee's offense -- which is much different than what he was accustomed to at Oregon (it's worth noting that Thornton had two offensive coordinators/coaching staffs in two years at Oregon, which means he's now learning his third offense in three years).

Thornton has the talent to be elite. And once he figures out his role in Tennessee's offense, I think we'll start to see that elite talent flash more often.