Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against UAB in an NCAA college football game on September 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Football WR Chris Brazzell II Named Midseason All-American

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Dale Dowden | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 11:53 PM ET

Analyst, fans, and overall media can say what they want about the Tennessee/Josh Heupel offense, but there is always a wide receiver that seems to flourish in the system. This year, three wide receivers are all posting solid numbers, but one has definitely taken a slight lead.

Cedric Tillman, JaVonta Payton, and Velus Jones Jr. all made huge plays in 2021, Jalin Hyatt in 2022 (Biletnikoff Award), and Dont'e Thornton Jr. in 2024.

In 2025, a new receiver has emerged.

Chris Brazzell II made his way to Knoxville via the transfer portal (Tulane) and has made the most of his opportunities.

Brazzell II seen the field as a rotation guy in his first year with the Vols (2024), producing some memorable plays. None bigger than what would eventually be the game winning score versus Alabama.

Fast-forward to 2025 and so far, Brazzell II has been a hot topic in the wide receiver conversations

Tennessee shared a post on X displaying the latest recognition.

Chris has been named to the AP midseason all-america team.#GBO pic.twitter.com/afXgzq2Wj3
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 16, 2025

The junior wide receiver has been named to the AP Midseason All-American team.

At 6-foot-5, 200-pounds, Brazzell II is currently ranked No. 14 nationally and No. 2 (SEC).

The season is somewhat similar to what was seen from Dont'e Thornton Jr. last season, but Brazzell II at midseason already has one more score and is only 125-yards away (536) from matching Thornton's season total (661).

2025 Production

The veteran of the Tennessee wide receiver group stepped up in a huge way this year, especially knowing the off-season story of the often referred to 'quarterback trade', Brazzell II has been very impactful for the first-year signal caller.

Last week's game with Arkansas has by far been the season low in terms of stats. The Razorbacks were able to hold the skilled pass catcher to 1 catch for 5-yards, while giving up 0 touchdowns on the day.

On the other side of that coin, the Texas native has gone over 100-yards three times this year, including the season high versus Top 10 Georgia.

Some of the stats provided by ESPN:

If Brazzell continues on this path, or increases, he will definitely bypass the leading receiver's production from a year ago and could be on pace to be in the ballpark of Jalin Hyatt numbers in 2022.

Brazzell II was a vital piece to the Vols defeating the Tide last year, the Third Saturday in October is finally here. Can the impactful wide-out and the Vols do it again?