'15 GA WR Preston Williams (UT Signee 2/4/15)

[SeanJean]

I think he's the third most talented receiver on the team behind Preston and North. The only thing holding him back is in between his ears.

I definitely agree it's clearly a mental thing with him, but I'd put Pearson ahead of him as well in terms of talent (assuming Pearson is on the roster). I just don't think his ceiling is as high as his recruiting profile and many posters would like to believe. I very much hope I'm wrong though.

 

[85SugarVol]

Uh, right, which is why I had Pig listed first.

Ah, I see what you did there. It's a bit confusing, depth charts aren't usually presented in that manner.

We agree.

 

[butchna]

Yeah everyone says that, but that's the part I don't see. Not particularly fast, not physical, not much wiggle, doesn't go up and get it, and drops a lot of routine balls. Just seems like an average SEC talent at wide receiver. I think North, Pearson, and PWill are all three clearly more physically talented .

I think you're going off of a few lowlight plays from last season. It's called a true freshman campaign. As far as "clearly" goes? You'd have a better argument with North and Pearson (tho I disagree). Like Williams, Malone physically dominated high school competition too.

 

[eazyTD]

I definitely agree it's clearly a mental thing with him, but I'd put Pearson ahead of him as well in terms of talent (assuming Pearson is on the roster). I just don't think his ceiling is as high as his recruiting profile and many posters would like to believe. I very much hope I'm wrong though.

I think Von is pretty talented as well but Malone has the size and top end speed that Pearson doesn't. I know we didn't get to see much of it last year but Malone has the kind of speed to take the top off the defense.

Von is much more quicker and slippery than Malone though to your point. I think JM is really going to benefit from Dobbs being the starter all year long. He's always been one of Dobbs' favorite targets and they have some sort of connection.

 

[volamite86]

LOL.
Smith will not start over Pig.

If all are healthy & available, our starters are:

North
Howard
Pearson

Haven't seen much news on it lately, but I might have missed out. But, what are the chances Pearson makes it back? I really hope he does. Kid seemed like an awesome player.

 

[GLDunlap]

I think Von is pretty talented as well but Malone has the size and top end speed that Pearson doesn't. I know we didn't get to see much of it last year but Malone has the kind of speed to take the top off the defense.

Von is much more quicker and slippery than Malone though to your point. I think JM is really going to benefit from Dobbs being the starter all year long. He's always been one of Dobbs' favorite targets and they have some sort of connection.

Think you need to check the stats. After Dobbs became the starter Malone had a grand total of 4 catches for 22 yards in 6 games. That includes the USC jr. Kentucky and Iowa games where our offensive stats were ridiculous. Thats on top of half our other receivers being injured. Malone should have been padding his stats by default but he didnt.

 

[SeanJean]

I think Von is pretty talented as well but Malone has the size and top end speed that Pearson doesn't. I know we didn't get to see much of it last year but Malone has the kind of speed to take the top off the defense.

Von is much more quicker and slippery than Malone though to your point. I think JM is really going to benefit from Dobbs being the starter all year long. He's always been one of Dobbs' favorite targets and they have some sort of connection.

I'd almost bet money Von is faster flat out than Malone, or at worst the same. Malone is a 4.5 40 type of guy. Good, but not great. Which is fine. You don't need to run a 4.3 as a receiver to be good. But he isn't particularly physical or shifty either, which makes me thinks he's just not that special.

I hope you're right though. We need more gamebreaking deep threats in this offense for Dobbs.

 

[SeanJean]

Think you need to check the stats. After Dobbs became the starter Malone had a grand total of 4 catches for 22 yards in 6 games. That includes the USC jr. Kentucky and Iowa games where our offensive stats were ridiculous. Thats on top of half our other receivers being injured. Malone should have been padding his stats by default but he didnt.

To be fair Malone was hurt last year, and it's hard to be effective as a receiver with a groin injury, so I'm not counting his freshman stats against him. I'm mostly just talking about passing the eye test and what I hear about him from practice.

 

[eazyTD]

Think you need to check the stats. After Dobbs became the starter Malone had a grand total of 4 catches for 22 yards in 6 games. That includes the USC jr. Kentucky and Iowa games where our offensive stats were ridiculous. Thats on top of half our other receivers being injured. Malone should have been padding his stats by default but he didnt.

Lol Malone was hurt and dealt with a pretty bad groin injury from the ole miss game until the bowl game.

 

[Ethan Hooper]

I hope Malone is running a legit 4.5 as a sophomore. Anyone who has watched an NFL combine does. Malone was a true freshman last year. He may not be as physically gifted as some of our other receivers, but he does have All-SEC ability. The thing about Malone is that while he isn't great in any area, he is good everywhere.

 

[eazyTD]

I'd almost bet money Von is faster flat out than Malone, or at worst the same. Malone is a 4.5 40 type of guy. Good, but not great. Which is fine. You don't need to run a 4.3 as a receiver to be good. But he isn't particularly physical or shifty either, which makes me thinks he's just not that special.

I hope you're right though. We need more gamebreaking deep threats in this offense for Dobbs.

I can promise you he is faster than Von. We will see if the light clicks on for Malone this year and hopefully he can remain healthy. He looked like he was about to turn the corner during the Ole Miss game until he got injured. He practiced much better during the spring and has gotten quite a bit stronger too.

I completely agree with your second statement. Our WR unit will go from good to great if Malone or Williams can step up and become a big, deep ball threat for Dobbs. They both have the tools do so imo.

 

[GLDunlap]

Lol Malone was hurt and dealt with a pretty bad groin injury from the ole miss game until the bowl game.

I was responding to this connection that Dobbs and Malone supposedly have. Where does this come from? Orange and white games? Not giving up on Malone at all just saying I see no evidence of a special connection. Groin injury maybe I heard more comments from coaches saying Malone just hit a mental wall last year then comments about being injured.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

I was responding to this connection that Dobbs and Malone supposedly have. Where does this come from? Orange and white games? Not giving up on Malone at all just saying I see no evidence of a special connection. Groin injury maybe I heard more comments from coaches saying Malone just hit a mental wall last year then comments about being injured.

One thing is that it's apparent the coaches don't like to release injury info to the public, especially if the players are playing through it. See Josh Smith, Croom, Malone, etc.

 

[GLDunlap]

Btw, not giving up on Malone at all. History shows being a true Freshman in the SEC is not easy.

 

[eazyTD]

I was responding to this connection that Dobbs and Malone supposedly have. Where does this come from? Orange and white games? Not giving up on Malone at all just saying I see no evidence of a special connection. Groin injury maybe I heard more comments from coaches saying Malone just hit a mental wall last year then comments about being injured.

Dobbs and Malone are very tight on and off the field. They have spent a ton of time throwing and catching together when Dobbs was practicing with the 2nd and 3rd string before Worley went down. He did hit a mental wall but that's after all of his explosiveness was gone due to the groin.


Here's a link to CZA talking about Malone's injury and better practice habits.

Difference in Tennessee receiver Josh Malone is

For much of last season, Malone dealt with a groin injury. It wasn’t enough to keep him out of games, but it kept him from feeling like himself. He lacked explosiveness and couldn’t create separation from defensive backs.

“It was just messing with my stride and messing with my running,” Malone said. “It was messing with my rhythm. ... It takes a lot (out of you). It was rough just going through it and really just keep pushing through it.”

Malone said he didn’t feel healthy until the beginning of March while going through a rehab circuit. When he arrived at spring practice, he moved more like the player who scored 31 touchdowns through receptions, rushes, kick returns and interceptions as a senior at Station Camp.

“As far as his physical being, he’s healthy,” wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni said. “It’s night and day. He looks like a different player.”

Azzanni said there’s also a night-and-day difference in Malone’s approach to practice. Azzanni said Malone’s preseason practice habits last year were subpar.

He was such a dominant athlete in high school that he often didn’t have to pay as much attention to detail to win in practice drills. He quickly learned that would change in college, and the adjustment period took most of Malone’s freshman year.

Azzanni said Malone’s maturity is evident every practice.

“It’s fun to watch,” Azzanni said. “He has a high care factor, so he’s been really working his craft. He still has a ways to go, but he knows that and he knows the little things he needs to work on his game. The thing I like about Josh right now is he’s coming out with the mentality to improve. He’s not banged up and bruised, so he’s able to improve. I’m pleased with his development. It’s night and day, his approach right now.”

“He made some big-time catches, went up and owned the ball in the air, which is really big,” quarterback Joshua Dobbs said after Saturday’s practice. “That’s great to see from him. He’s a big, long lanky receiver. We definitely need his size and his strength and his speed on the edge.”

 

[eazyTD]

Btw, not giving up on Malone at all. History shows being a true Freshman in the SEC is not easy.

I know, man. The difference in physicality at the HS level and the SEC level can't even be described.

 

[VOLtilldeath]

why are you guys so down on josh malone ,his numbers were not that far off from justin hunters when he was a freshman besides the touchdowns .it is not as easy having big numbers when the qb does not have alot of attempted passes or completions.i dont care how good a wide out is if he dont have a qb to throw to him he wont get many receptions or yards.

 

[triad280]

Josh Malone is extremely talented. As mentioned above, he played hurt a lot of the season last year. Some of the posts here are laughable. Is he a physical freak like North? NO. But name me many others that are. I hope he stays healthy this year and really shows what type of player he really is.

 

[TriCitiesVol]

Malone is fine. I remember reading that he tore up the Rivals/247 camp circuit with big time DB's back when he was in HS. He's extremely talented and pretty polished. He worked out with NPA.

And he's plenty fast. Go watch the UGA game where he took the WR reverse. Looked like he shot out of a cannon.

I'd say Malone will take a pretty big jump this Fall.

 

[engineerVOL]

Josh Malone is extremely talented. As mentioned above, he played hurt a lot of the season last year. Some of the posts here are laughable. Is he a physical freak like North? NO. But name me many others that are. I hope he stays healthy this year and really shows what type of player he really is.

If he does, buy tickets to the Georgia Dome.

 

[NEO]

Hate to be that guy but many in hendersonville thought he was overrated before and after he committed. I hope they are wrong but there has always been a large group out that felt this way.

 

[triad280]

If he does, buy tickets to the Georgia Dome.

Maybe for the next few years...

 

[LittleVol]

Btw, not giving up on Malone at all. History shows being a true Freshman in the SEC is not easy.

Malone will be fine.

I actually think he has the best break away speed of anyone on the team. His acceleration is impressive. He has a good burst. You could see on those quick passes and reverse plays that Malone had an extra gear.

If he stays healthy (North, Smith, Von? Croom) this year he will put up good numbers. He needs to continue to learn hand violence and high pointing the football. He needs to continue becoming a willing blocker.

He has a lot to work on, but he is as talented as any wr in college football.

 

[SeanJean]

I can promise you he is faster than Von. We will see if the light clicks on for Malone this year and hopefully he can remain healthy. He looked like he was about to turn the corner during the Ole Miss game until he got injured. He practiced much better during the spring and has gotten quite a bit stronger too.

I completely agree with your second statement. Our WR unit will go from good to great if Malone or Williams can step up and become a big, deep ball threat for Dobbs. They both have the tools do so imo.

The idea of Dobbs having a legitimate deep threat is just scary. Being able to read-option and then fire a pass down the sideline: Nasty. It'd be just like the Auburn offense the last two years.

 

[tim]

Hate to be that guy but many in hendersonville thought he was overrated before and after he committed. I hope they are wrong but there has always been a large group out that felt this way.

Not this guy. Absolutely owned most of the local competition. Most of whom you speak of are what we like to refer to as "haters". Look at his hs highlights and form your own opinion tho.