Josh Heupel reveals early impressions of Dont'e Thornton

This offseason, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel brought in wide receiver Dont’e Thornton as a transfer. The hope is that he can come in and help the Volunteers stay explosive in the passing game next season.

During spring practice, Heupel spoke about his first impression of Thornton.

“Yeah, he’s long,” Josh Heupel said. “He’s got great speed, he’s got experience, he’s mature, he’s got great work habits, and he’s a guy that is constantly up here in the meeting room but also doing things in the indoor and trying the best that he can.”

Dont’e Thornton is transferring to Tennessee from Oregon. There, Thornton had 26 catches in 15 games. He averaged 20.8 yards per catch and had three touchdowns.

“He’s got some position flexibility,” Josh Heupel explained. “He can play inside, can play outside. You know, how quickly he grasps what we do offensively is gonna be one of the keys for him as we go through the spring, but really excited about who he is and what he’s brought to the table so far.”

A four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Thornton was the 10th-ranked wide receiver in his class. He still has three years of eligibility.

Kelsey Pope on how to involve Dont’e Thornton in the offense

Tennessee’s wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope is excited about what players like Dont’e Thornton and Squirrel White bring to the offense. Now, as Pope explained, the Volunteers need to find a way to use these key weapons in the offense.

“Absolutely you can get both of those guys in the same time. I think another thing that you’ve got to be conscious of is having guys be able to play multiple spots because you want your best players on the field. Whether those two are in that group or whoever, you gotta have some guys play multiple spots, it allows you to do that,” Pope said.

“I think body type for one, body makeup. Dont’e is 6’5, 205-210 [pounds], Squirrel 5’8 he’s around 170 [pounds] now. I think body type, there’s a big difference. Both those guys have the ability to run, Squirrel is more of a vertical guy. Dont’e can run, he adds a little bit more lateral, a little bit more on the line of scrimmage.”