Although he was Tennessee’s only offensive signee from the 2025 class who didn’t enroll early, Joakim Dodson never felt too far away from the Volunteers.
Literally or figuratively.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Dodson spent his first three high school seasons in the Memphis suburb of Collierville before transferring and playing his senior year at Baylor School. He was an instant star for the Red Raiders, amassing 58 catches for 871 yards and 13 touchdowns during a 10-0 regular season that included seven victories by at least four touchdowns.
Dodson enrolled at Tennessee in June to join heralded freshman teammates Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr., who put their receiving talents on display throughout the spring and during the Orange & White Game.
“I don’t think there was much catching up, because every week I wasn’t here, we were on Zoom,” Dodson said in a news conference Thursday after Tennessee’s second preseason workout. “I came up here several times during spring to make sure I was with the guys in the installs and stuff like that even though I wasn’t with them out on the field, which is a big piece of it.