The first season for Dont’e Thornton Jr. as a Tennessee receiver ended abruptly.
He answered with an abrupt start to his second year.
Thornton made quite the splash in his return with the Volunteers, amassing three receptions for a team-high 105 yards during this past Saturday’s 69-3 downing of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The 6-foot-5, 214-pound senior from Baltimore also reached the end zone twice, surpassing his total from a season ago.
“Obviously it felt great,” Thornton said after the opener, “and I felt like I needed to have a game like this. It’s a game I expected to have, so it felt really good.”
Thornton notched his first 100-yard receiving game with the Vols and just the second of his career, having racked up 151 yards on four catches from Bo Nix during Oregon’s 20-17 win over Utah late in the 2022 season. He spent his first two years with the Ducks, averaging 21.6 yards per catch.