He gradually went from using a knee scooter to get around campus in the fall to using crutches to walking on his own, and he’s continued to ramp up his athletic movement in the weeks and months of the offseason.
Heupel was encouraged by what he saw from McCoy in a recent video of a rehab session sent to him by a staffer.
“Been really exciting to see just his growth,” Heupel said. “I had our strength staff record him the other day as he was sprinting in the indoor, and he looks really natural. The gait is fluid. The speed is coming along really well. Man, just I’m really excited for him. There’s a big forest that you’ve got to go through with the injury that he’s had and he’s had to do this multiple times for different reasons. It’s fun to see him come out the other side of the forest, and really excited for Bru.”
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCoy was a big miss for a Tennessee passing game that took a step back from 2022’s record-setting performance. The Vols struggled to replace his physicality and contested-catch prowess because there’s not a player like him on the roster. The tenacity and edge he plays with make him a tough cover even though he lacks elite speed, a trait Tennessee has elsewhere in its receiving corps – McCoy adds the steel to the silk.
McCoy was sidelined during spring practice as the competition heated up at wideout, where Heupel believes the Vols are the deepest they have been in his tenure. Newcomers Chris Brazzell II, a four-star transfer from Tulane, and Mike Matthews, a five-star freshman, made their mark with their playmaking ability, and Dont’e Thornton Jr. looked refreshed after an injury-hit first season with the Vols. Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod looked to benefit from the experience they got being thrust into larger roles after McCoy’s injury as redshirt freshmen last season.
The Vols return their leading receiver, too, in Squirrel White. McCoy might have been that player if not for the injury after he was Tennessee’s second-leading receiver in 2022. The Southern California transfer, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, has changed the narrative of his career for the better at Tennessee, and he’s gearing up for one final season with the Vols with the aim of putting a stylish finish to what’s been at times a challenging college career.
“He should be ready,” Heupel said. “He’s in a position to have an elite summer and be ready to roll. What do I expect from him? Expect him to play at a championship level, man.”
The Big Orange Caravan made its final stop of the spring Wednesday night in Johnson City.
Football coach Josh Heupel has been talking up his depth at receiver during the Caravan stops.
That depth will be bolstered even further by the return of wideout Bru McCoy, who fractured his ankle last season.
Said Heupel:”He should be ready. He’s in position to have an elite summer. What do I expect from him? Expect him to play at a championship level.”
About eight months ago we saw one of the most gruesome injuries you’ll ever see on a football field. Bru McCoy, Tennessee’s powerful wide receiver and one of the leaders of the program, went down with an ugly lower leg injury. The impact and severity of it was instant, and a long rehab process was laid out in front of McCoy.
The injury may have impacted McCoy’s NFL decision, with the 6-3, 220 pound receiver obviously unable to do much of anything physically. McCoy instead opted to use his COVID year of eligibility to return in 2024.
That’s a big veteran boost for Tennessee, and it gives him another shot to prove himself to NFL teams after his 2023 season was cut short.
“Been really exciting to see just his growth,” Josh Heupel said of McCoy’s rehab at a Big Orange Caravan event this week. “I had our strength staff record him the other day as he was sprinting in the indoor, and he looks really natural. The gait is fluid. The speed is coming along really well. Man, just I’m really excited for him. There’s a big forest that you’ve got to go through with the injury that he’s had and he’s had to do this multiple times for different reasons. It’s fun to see him come out the other side of the forest, and really excited for Bru.”
McCoy caught 52 passes for 667 yards during the 2022 season, scoring four touchdowns. He caught 17 passes for 217 yards before going down with the injury last year. McCoy now will help usher in the Nico Iamaleava era, looking to make things a bit easier on the sophomore quarterback and first-time starter.
A former five-star recruit, McCoy had quite the winding road to Knoxville. A recruiting saga for the ages played out back in 2019, as McCoy flip-flopped and transferred back and forth to Texas and USC. He ultimately ended up a Trojan for three seasons, before finding a true home at Tennessee.
Heupel uses McCoy as a power player — a run after the catch guy on screens, a leader blocker on the perimeter for those screens and a guy that can make tough catches in traffic over the middle. He’s also made huge catches down the field in big moments, none bigger than his grab against Alabama in 2022 to set up the game winning field goal.
Tennessee missed him in a big way last season down the stretch. Adding him back into the equation will be big for the offense as a whole, especially as the Vols’ transition to a young quarterback.
“He should be ready,” Heupel said. “He’s in a position to have an elite summer and be ready to roll.”
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