Examining Dont'e Thornton's Potential Impact
Dont'e Thornton has everything you could want from a receiver at the college level—a big frame, standing at 6'5" and 200 pounds. With an elite catch radius and good hands (2 career drops in 32 targets), Thornton comes to Tennessee after two seasons at the University of Oregon. Josh Heupel's newest shiny toy started to get more opportunities at the tail end of the 2022 season, namely a 148-yard performance in Week 12 against Top-15 Utah.
Looking further back, Dont'e was a monster in High School, dominating in both Football and Track at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Throughout his High School career, the rising Junior tallied over 1,800 receiving yards and nearly 30 touchdowns en route to an offer and, later on, early enrollment at the University of Oregon.
The Ducks had a lot of depth in the Receiving room, making it tough for Thornton to get a lot of opportunities as a Freshman in 2021, but Dont'e managed to accumulate a solid 175-yard campaign in limited chances. Last season, Thornton played 176 passing snaps, with 363 yards.
With solid production in limited looks for two years at Oregon, Dont'e decided to head to the transfer portal and found himself in Knoxville. Now under the tutelage of Josh Heupel and receivers coach Kelsey Pope, year three may be the breakout for the Baltimore product. In an offense that saw Jalin Hyatt go from 226 yards one season to almost 1,300 the next, the sky is the limit for Thornton.
Spring Ball is going to be crucial for Dont'e. On Monday, Heupel stated that the most important thing for Thornton is how fast he can grasp the playbook and scheme. If he can do this quickly, he will find many opportunities in Knoxville. Alongside guys like Bru McCoy and Squirrel White, Thornton has the chance to make Tennessee's Receiving room one of the nation's scariest.
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