Radarious Jackson returned to the field on Friday after wearing a red non-contact jersey during recent practices.
It was unknown why Jackson was in the red top to begin with, but it’s a good sign that he is back to full participation before the scrimmage on Saturday.
“Radarious has always got the right mentality, man,” Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope said. “He’s usually the hardest worker in the receiver room. You don’t have to really get a fire lit under him for him to get started.”
The sophomore is in the middle of a competition for a starting wide receiver spot. Braylon Staley, Mike Matthews, TK Keys, Travis Smith and Joakim Dodson are all vying for playing time. The latter three, along with Jackson, are battling for time in the X spot.
“If you know somebody, let me know,” Pope said. “It’s wide open right now. It’s just consistency daily. Like not being up and down.”
The Sheffield High School standout is coming off a freshman season where he caught nine passes for 90 yards.
He believes that his ability to go up and get the ball and his speed stand out against the rest of his competition at the position group.
“I try to be as physical as I can,” Jackson said. “I try to get dirty when I can. I try to add to my game when I can, too.”
The sophomore also mentioned that he wants to be a good teammate, especially when the ball isn’t in his hands. Translating that unselfish effort into the offense will be critical.
That mindset needs to be on full display when the team takes the field at Neyland Stadium for its first scrimmage Saturday morning.
Pope mentioned that the team may not name a starter until the season starts, but those names can quickly change when more than 100,000 fans are peering into the huddle.
“You see the play snapped and the eyes are all over the place and not going through the progressions, pass game, run game, whatever,” Pope said. “That kind of indicates that, man, this feels like everything’s moving too fast. When you see them go in and they cut it loose and then they play after play and they’re asking for more. That’s when you know guys are ready.”
The wide receivers coach has been willing to put his players in uncomfortable situations to challenge them, but he wants to make sure he finds the right balance so he doesn’t overdo it.
For Jackson, Saturday will provide the first true test to prove he is ready to handle the chaos and claim that starting role.
