KNOXVILLE – It seemed like a nearly perfect combination.
First-year Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley worked with tight ends at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins, and he’s a noted fan of the versatility of that position.
Tennessee senior Luke Stocker is considered by many one of college football’s best tight ends – or the best, according to collegefootballnews.com.
The 6-foot-6, 253-pound Stocker could have left after last season for the NFL but hung around for several reasons, one of them being a chance to be a go-to guy in the Volunteers’ passing attack.
Junior college transfer quarterback Matt Simms, who likely will start the Vols’ Saturday season opener against UT-Martin, quickly struck up a friendship with Stocker after enrolling in January and has said several times that the tight end would be a major asset for the offense.