On Dec. 27, when Squirrel White entered the transfer portal, Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope said “there weren’t a lot of long faces.”
No one would’ve faulted him for worrying just a little. After all, White ranked seventh on UT’s career receptions list with 131 catches over three seasons. And though his production had slipped, White was still a proven commodity in UT’s passing game.
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But Pope didn’t sweat because he had Braylon Staley waiting on deck, and he trusted his evaluation of the unproven receiver.
Now Staley, a redshirt freshman, is as reliable as almost any receiver in the SEC as No. 22 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) prepares to play at Florida (3-7, 2-5 SEC) on Nov. 22 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Staley is on pace to challenge Marcus Nash’s single-season UT record for receptions. He already leads every freshman in the FBS in receiving yards. And he’s among the leading candidates for SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
“There comes a time where you got a guy that is experienced and may be older and you’ve got a younger guy who’s promising, and you got to trust your evaluation,” Pope said. “There weren’t a lot of long faces (when White entered the portal).
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“We knew who (Staley and sophomore Mike Matthews) were in high school when we recruited them. We confirmed that when they got here and they worked the way they did. So when you come to that crossroad where you got an experienced player and a young player, I think you’ve got to trust your eval.”
Why Kelsey Pope knew Braylon Staley was ready for spotlight
Staley, Matthews and Chris Brazzell give UT the most productive wide receiver trio in the SEC. They’ve combined for 2,301 receiving yards and 18 TD catches this season.
Brazzell was already experienced, but he’s turned into a projected early-round NFL Draft pick. Matthews was a five-star recruit who flashed his talent as a freshman in 2024.
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That made Staley the biggest risk for the Vols when they didn’t dip deep into the portal this offseason to bolster their receiving corps. Staley caught three passes in four games in 2024 and took a redshirt. But Pope didn’t see him as a gamble.
“We trusted our evaluations. We trusted how those guys looked last year,” Pope said. “Honestly, there was a lot of peace amongst me, coach (Joey) Halzle, Coach (Josh) Heupel, everybody on the staff. We felt like we had the pieces we needed.”
Staley said he knew the slot receiver position was his for the taking as soon as White entered the portal. And he appreciated that UT’s coaches trusted in him in that role despite his inexperience.
“My work ethic showed that I could do whatever needs to be done on the field,” Staley said. “Coming in with the same mindset every day in practice got that trust from them.”
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How Staley could break Marcus Nash’s receptions record
Staley said his preseason goals included making the SEC All-Freshman Team and posting 1,000 yards receiving. The first one is guaranteed, and the second one could be in reach.
Staley has 761 yards receiving, so he needs 239 yards in UT’s final three games to get there. That includes the game against Florida, home against Vanderbilt (Nov. 29, 3:30 p.m.), plus a bowl game.
Brazzell has 873 yards receiving, so he only needs 127 yards to reach that mark. Ten UT players have posted a 1,000-yard season, led by Robert Meachem’s 1,298 yards in 2006.
But the Vols have never had two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.
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Meanwhile, Staley could threaten Nash’s single-season UT record of 76 receptions in 1997, when he caught passes from Peyton Manning.
Staley has 57 receptions, averaging 5.7 catches per game. He needs 19 receptions, or 6.3 catches per game, to Nash’s record.
How Staley compares to star slot receivers under Josh Heupel
White was UT’s leading receiver in 2023 and productive despite injuries in 2024. But he transferred to Florida State, where he has five catches for 52 yards.
Meanwhile, Staley has continued UT’s success at slot receiver. When coach Josh Heupel’s offense is operating properly, that position is primary target in the passing game.
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Here are the slot receivers during Heupel’s tenure at UT:
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Velus Jones (2021): 62 rec., 807 yards, seven TDs
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Jalin Hyatt (2022): 67 rec., 1,267 yards, 15 TDs
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Squirrel White (2023): 67 rec., 803 yards, two TDs
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Squirrel White (2024): 34 rec., 381 yards, two TDs
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Braylon Staley (2025): 57 rec., 761 yards, six TDs
BOO CARTER: Inside the exit of the once-promising Tennessee player
Jones was an All-SEC performer. Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best receiver in college football. White was among the SEC’s leading receivers.
And now Staley has thrived in his first season in that role, just as Pope expected.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football didn’t worry when Braylon Staley replaced Squirrel White
