WATCH: Tennessee freshman Squirrel White shows off incredible speed
Tennessee may have found a big-time playmaker in true freshman receiver Marquarius “Squirrel” White. The 5-foot-9, 153-pound Alabama native has incredible speed, and that was on display at Tuesday’s spring practice.
A video was posted to Twitter showing White sprinting down the field toward the end zone, where he calmly caught a deep ball thrown his way. Although it is still very early in his college career, that highlight provided a glimpse into what he can provide for the Volunteers in 2022 and beyond.
A four-star recruit, White ranked as the No. 61 overall receiver in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. In addition to Tennessee, he had offers from schools such as Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and others.
White is set to join a Volunteers receiving corps that brings back its top pass catcher in Cedric Tillman, who finished this past season with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, they also lose the next two leading producers in Velus Jones Jr. and JaVonta Payton. With that in mind, quarterback Hendon Hooker could be looking for some new targets this upcoming season.
If coach Josh Heupel and Tennessee can implement some of their freshmen to the rotation and bring a spark, competing within the SEC East could be a real possibility.
“I thought Squirrel did a really good job out there today,” Heupel said. “Made multiple plays. Operated really efficient. Didn’t feel like the tempo or the game was too fast for him at any point. Really positive day for him.”
Squirrel White is far from the only receiver that Tennessee signed in this recruiting class, which ranked fourth in the SEC according to On3. The Volunteers also brought in Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod, the No. 35 and No. 68 receivers, respectively, in the 2022 class. With new offensive weapons on board, Heupel will look to get even better after finishing third in the SEC with 474.9 yards per game in 2021.
Tennessee fans can get their first look at White and the rest of the freshman receivers when the Volunteers open up the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against Ball State.