KNOXVILLE – For the past five months, Jason Croom would have his eye on one position in every football game – college or NFL – he watched in person or on television.
This week, the Tennessee fifth-year senior finally began playing that position.
“It’s always been put in my ear that I could be a tight end,” Croom said Tuesday after the Volunteers finished their second spring practice. “I just thought I’d go ahead and try it out. I weighed as much as a tight end as at receiver, so I thought I would give it a try this spring, and so far it’s going well.”
The move from wide receiver to tight end was always just a conversation away throughout Croom’s career with the Vols because, well, there probably aren’t very many 245-pound wide receivers at any level of football. Croom actually played tight end for one week prior to undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in 2012 (which led to a redshirt year), but he spent the past three seasons at wide receiver.
Jason Croom bobbles the ball as he and D’Andre Payne go up for the catch.In 2013 and 2014, the former four-star recruit caught 39 passes for 574 yards and six touchdowns. It appeared Croom was turning a corner when he caught touchdown passes in consecutive games against South Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri late during his sophomore season in 2014.