Squirrel White shares excitement for chemistry with Joe Milton

Tennessee has a stacked wide receiving corps heading into the 2023 season. It’s easy for someone like Squirrel White, who is heading into his second collegiate season, to get overlooked based on depth alone.

After all, he was the fourth-most productive wideout on the Vols roster one season ago. Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt is gone to the NFL, but Tennessee has retained the production of veterans Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton, who were No. 2 and No. 3 on the team in receiving yards last season, respectively.

Still, the Vols have a new lease on life with new quarterback Joe Milton at the helm. After a strong close to the 2022 season, White has made it his focus to work with Milton on and off the field to maximize their chemistry.

“Our chemistry is very well on the field,” White said. “This offseason, we went out and threw a lot and we hung out a lot. Our chemistry is very good.”

White is looking to build on his 30 receptions, 481 receiving yards and two touchdowns he produced as a true freshman last season. While those numbers aren’t eye-popping by any stretch, apart from Hyatt — his numbers were as good as any wideouts last season.

McCoy leads the returning group and figures to be Milton’s top option after having caught 52 passes for 667 yards and four touchdowns. Keyton opted to return to college for another season, too, and looks to add to his 31 receptions, 562 receiving yards and — aside from Hyatt’s 15 touchdowns — had the most receiving touchdowns on the team with five.

Tennessee also brought in former Oregon Duck Dont’e Thornton, a player who has yet to reach his potential through two seasons in the college ranks. Electing to leave Eugene and head to UT, the former top-100 recruit is in the mix to be one of Milton’s top targets this season as well.

Could White surpass them? The potential is certainly there. He showed flashes of it as a freshman, and despite his size, could be one of the most dynamic playmakers on Tennessee’s offense. Still, there are three other wideouts that were just named where the same could be said of them.

Playing in head coach Josh Heupel’s fast-paced offense, rotating fresh bodies is key to keeping his players fresh and ready for a six-second sprint every time the ball snaps. That means there will be no limit to Squirrel White’s production in 2023.