In 2023, the depth of the Tennessee Vols’ wide receiver corps was put to the test.
With the exception of fifth-year senior Ramel Keyton, the Vols’ wide receiver group was comparatively inexperienced toward the end of the season due to injuries to Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton.
Even though Tennessee has a number of excellent wide receivers on the roster and one on the way in the form of 2024 five-star wide out Mike Matthews, they would be prudent to acquire a wide receiver this offseason via the transfer portal.
And an interesting option entered the portal this week that could be a good fit for the Volunteers.
FIU wide receiver Kris Mitchell entered the portal on Tuesday according to On3.
Mitchell, a Florida native who has one year of eligibility remaining, caught 64 passes for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns this past season.
One of Mitchell’s best games this season came against Arkansas, a team that’s on Tennessee’s schedule in 2024. Mitchell caught six passes for 157 yards and a touchdown against the Razorbacks in the penultimate week of the regular season.
At FIU, Mitchell found success while playing under offensive coordinator David Yost, an Air Raid disciple who previously coached under Matt Wells.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel worked under Wells at Utah State in 2015.
While Heupel doesn’t run an Air Raid offense, there are some similarities in concepts, which could make the transition to Tennessee’s offense easier for Mitchell (we saw this in practice in 2021 when JaVonta Payton transferred from Mississippi State, where he played under Mike Leach, to Tennessee and found instant success).
Fit is extremely important for the Vols when it comes to transfer wide receivers. And Mitchell is one of the few wide receivers in the portal that could be an ideal fit.
