Tennessee's Squirrel White makes The Athletic's 'College Football Freaks List'
Squirrel White is arguably Tennessee football’s least imposing player. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds — no one else is listed lower than 175 — White makes up for his lack of size with his elite top-end speed as a slot receiver in Josh Heupel’s offense.
But this week White was the lone representative for the Vols on Bruce Feldman’s annual ‘College Football Freak List’ for The Athletic. He deserves a spot on the All Name List, too, according to Feldman.
“Love the name,” Feldman wrote. “Love the wheels. The 5-10, 165-pound sophomore, one of the fastest wide receivers in college football, is being counted on to fill former Vol blazer Jalin Hyatt’s role of lethal slot man. White has been clocked at 23.4 miles per hour velocity on the Catapult system and also has vertical-jumped 40.6 inches.”
Squirrel White last season: 30 receptions, 481 yards, 2 TDs
White was a four-star prospect ranked No. 150 overall in the On3 ratings in the 2022 recruiting class, out of Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Ala. He picked Tennessee over offers from Georgia, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Louisville and others.
As a freshman last season, despite being stuck behind Hyatt on the depth chart, White caught 30 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns.
He ended the year on a high note in the Orange Bowl, catching nine passes from Joe Milton III for 108 yards and a touchdown in the 31-14 win over Clemson. He had a season-high 122 yards receiving and a touchdown in the homecoming win over UT Martin in October.
“When Hyatt opted out of the Orange Bowl, White had a season-high nine catches for 108 yards and one touchdown in the win over Clemson,” Feldman continued. “And, no, Squirrel isn’t his given name. It’s Marquarius, but his great-grandmother called him ‘Squirrel’ as an infant after he moved simultaneously with a squirrel in her garden.”
Vols WR coach Kelsey Pope: ‘Squirrel is a vibrant light on the field’
The move he’s making as a sophomore is into a more prominent role in Tennessee’s wide receiver group. With Hyatt and Cedric Tillman off to the NFL after being picked in the third round in the NFL Draft in April, it’s White and Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton as Tennessee’s new options in the slot.
“Squirrel is a vibrant light on and off the field,” Tennessee receivers coach Kelsey Pope said last week. “When he’s around the guys, everybody lights up. When he’s on the field, it’s contagious. Everybody’s willing to play hard. Seeing that personality, (him) showing the room has been awesome, man. Really good.”
His personality, Pope said, is “a little bit of a comedian.” He’s already got an off-field partnership with his new quarterback established, too.
“He and Joe Milton were a new duo this summer,” Pope said. “That was new to me but seeing him open up and be more talkative and his personality come out, that’s only better for the rest of the room.”
