It is no secret at this point that the Volunteers are without Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. They combined for 1,684 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. This was done with Tillman playing a limited six games due to injuries.
One of the main players coming in to take their places is senior receiver Ramel Keyton. He is coming off of a breakthrough season, playing well out of the slot. He finished with 562 yards and five touchdowns.
He also stood out in certain games, for example, against UT-Martin, where he caught two of his five touchdown passes on the season.A big thing that Keyton did last season was just how much of a deep threat he was for quarterback Hendon Hooker. He finished this past season averaging 18.1 yards per catch. His longest of last season was a 57-yard touchdown grab against Akron.
Keyton on spring practice and his preparation for next season, "We're focusing on the details we missed from last season...you get excited about the opportunity to go out there and make plays."
The Volunteers will need Keyton to make big plays. Along with senior Bru McCoy, Keyton is one of the two oldest receivers on the roster now. This means that he will almost certainly have a new role with more receptions. He never had more than five receptions in a game last season. The abundance of young guys makes Keyton a leader in the position group and on an offense that will need production out of him.
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