Cedric Tillman details the impact of adding wide receiver Bru McCoy
The Tennessee Volunteers are heading into the 2022 football season with a bit of extra juice following the news that USC transfer wideout Bru McCoy is eligible to play this season. Cedric Tillman, returning star receiver for the Vols, described the impact McCoy could make for the team now that he’s officially clear for 2022.
“I was on Twitter, watching a movie and I saw it pop up on my feed,” Tillman recounted. “I texted him immediately like, ‘Congratulations bro, let’s eat this year.’ Just positive words of encouragement. I’m happy to have one of my brothers playing out there with me this week. I was excited.”
“I love Bru’s physicality,” Tillman continued. “He’s a big receiver like me, you know, not afraid of lowering his shoulder. Very aggressive, high-pointing the ball. I can brag about Bru all day, and other receivers. He’s one of my closest friends on the team now. I know he got here a couple of months ago but we’ve really connected.”
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McCoy was one of the most highly touted recruits coming out of high school in his class. He ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 19 player in the country in 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
In 2020, for USC, the 6-foot-3 wideout posted 21 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
McCoy will hit the field for the first time for Tennessee’s season opener on Thursday against Ball State. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET from Neyland Stadium.
Josh Heupel reacts to McCoy news
During a recent press conference, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel revealed his thoughts and feelings on the NCAA’s decision on McCoy.
“Yeah, certainly a small sense of relief. More than anything, just excitement when I got the news – it sent chills down my spine,” said Heupel. “I’m so excited for him. A young man that’s done it the right way since he’s been here. He has gone through a long windy journey to get to this point and now he has an opportunity to move forward with this future, and go compete with his teammates, his brothers.”
For Heupel, the best part about McCoy being allowed to play this season wasn’t the impact it’ll have on the team but rather the moment he shared with his father when sharing the news.
“Having a chance to tell him and then hear him tell his dad was one of the great moments in my career,” said Heupel. “You could just tell the sense of excitement and some really from them that they’re able to just move on and go compete. So, really special for him and his family.”
On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report.