Cedric Tillman to opt out of Orange Bowl
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman’s Vol career has come to an end. After an injury plagued season, Tillman is opting out of the Orange Bowl to focus on getting healthy, preparing for the Senior Bowl and the subsequent NFL draft.
The Las Vegas native burst on the scene in 2021 with a break out season in year one of the Josh Heupel era on Rocky Top. Tillman led the Vols with 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns on a team high 64 catches. Tillman averaged 16.9 yards per reception and he told the coaches following the Florida game that he wanted to be the go-to guy in the offense as the Vols adjusted to a new system.
“I will be honest after the Florida game, I told coach (Kodi) Burns I wanted to get more involved in the offense,” Tillman admitted in reflecting back on the 2021 season. “I want you guys to trust me more. He liked the confidence and he agreed. I feel like that’s why it took off. I wanted the number one receiver role. I asked for it and it paid off.”
Tillman was off to another great start to the season with 230 yards and a touchdown on 15 catches in the Vols’ wins over Ball State and at Pittsburgh.
In the second quarter against Akron in week three Tillman leaped for a catch and injured his ankle on the tackle.
The severe high ankle sprain led Tillman to have tightrope surgery in order to try and accelerate his return. Tillman missed the Florida, LSU, Alabama, and UT-Martin games.
He returned for Kentucky where he had four catches for 22 yards. At Georgia he had seven receptions for 68 yards but suffered a lower leg injury. That injury and damp field conditions led to Tillman being held out against Missouri.
Tillman returned for the South Carolina game where he had nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
The 6-3, 215 pound receiver didn’t play in Tennessee’s 56-0 win over Vanderbilt to close out the regular season. For Tillman the 2022 season has admittedly been difficult.
“As a teammate it’s been great, as a fan it’s great seeing how far Tennessee has come,” Tillman said of being forced to watch from the sidelines. “Obviously the work is not done. We will still have a lot of work to do, but as a teammate and a fan it’s definitely been great to watch.
“As a competitor, that’s a different story,” Tillman added in his appearance on Vol Club Confidential. “It’s been killing me inside. Obviously you want to go out there and compete and play in those big time games.”
Tillman now will focus on trying to improve his draft stock which has taken a hit this season because of his health.
