Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews (10) warms up before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee's Josh Heupel Says Wide Receivers 'Don't Have Time to Be Young'

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 11:19 AM ET

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel says the young wide receivers don't have time to be young.'

Football season has officially arrived for the Tennessee Volunteers, and head coach Josh Heupel met with the media on Tuesday to kick things off. The head ball coach covered a litany of topics, but one thing he was asked about what his confidence in the young wide receivers.

The Volunteers are hopeful to see strides from sophomore Mike Matthews, redshirt freshman Braylon Stayley, freshman Travis Smith and freshman Radarious Jackson. Heupel kept it simple, though, and said the young players don't have time to be young this season.

“Yeah, young guys don’t have time to be young. It’s been one of the things that we’ve talked about as a program since we got back in January," Heupel said. "Our coaches are responsible for that. Our players are too, the guys that are vets inside those position rooms. I really like the guys that we have inside the wide receiver room. That’s athletic traits, playmaking ability, their attention to detail. Excited to see that room continue to grow throughout the course of training camp, and really through the season as young guys continue to get better.”

Tennessee lost three notable wide receivers this offseason in the form of Bru McCoy and Dont'e Thornton to the NFL draft on top of Squirrel White transferring to Florida. It has created opportunities for younger players to make an impact this season. However, as Heupel mentioned, that also means they don't have time to ease their way into the lineup.