As long as Tennessee’s offense is a work in progress this football season, so is fifth-year senior receiver and Southern California transfer Velus Jones Jr.
Coach Jeremy Pruitt declared his desire for a more aggressive attack after the Volunteers’ 24-13 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 7. Such a desire includes the 6-foot, 200-pounder from Saraland, Alabama, who has just 58 yards on nine catches through Tennessee’s 2-4 start heading into Saturday night’s game at No. 23 Auburn (4-2).
“He’s a guy who we feel like has a lot of playmaking ability, and we’ve got to find ways to get him the ball and give him the opportunity to do that,” Pruitt said Wednesday. “We didn’t have spring ball, so he’s never been in our system, but he’s a guy who we want to get more involved over the next four weeks in the offense. He’s a good leader on our team who works hard, and we need to find ways to take advantage of his ability.”
Jones is certainly up for a better-late-than-never outburst of explosive plays, stating: “We just have to stick together and stick to it. The season is not over yet. We know the season hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but we’ve got four more games and can turn that all around.”
Though he hasn’t made the initial impact he sought, Jones has no regrets in leaving USC for Knoxville and a Southeastern Conference that has met his expectations and then some.