Published Nov 19, 2021
Cedric Tillman's breakout season a product of hard work
Ben McKee  •  VolReport
Staff Writer

Cedric Tillman is in the midst of a breakout season on Rocky Top.

The Las Vegas product caught just eight passes over his first three seasons at Tennessee. 10 games into his redshirt-junior season, Tillman has caught 46 passes to become the Vols’ leading-receiver.

“That’s a guy that’s been extremely focused on continuing to change his body, gain strength, development inside the strength-and-conditioning area,” Vols wide receivers coach Kodi Burns said recently when asked about Tillman. “You get into spring ball, his first five practices, consistent in his work ethic, but you saw growth from first five to second five to third five. In that, he’s gained a ton of confidence and belief that he can be a really good wide receiver at this level. Then you’ve see him progress throughout the season because his work habits have consistently continued to grow.”

Tillman’s work habits have led to him becoming one of the best receivers in the SEC.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver is fifth in the SEC in receiving yards (725), sixth in receiving yards per game (72.5), seventh in yards per reception (15.76), seventh in receiving touchdowns (6), ninth in receptions (46) and 10th in receptions per game (4.6).

“The guys that put the most into it are the guys that get the most out of it,” Burns said. “I think Cedric Tillman is just really scratching the surface, just still truly an inexperienced player.

“Just hadn’t had the opportunity that he has now, and he’s really taken full advantage of it. It’s been really impressive to see him go out there each week and just continue to develop and get more confidence each and every week.”

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Tillman has always had a knack for the highlight catch. He made SportsCenter’s top 10 plays last year for a touchdown catch against Texas A&M, and then made an acrobatic catch against Bowling Green in this year’s opener.

This season has proved Tillman is more than just a highlight catch. He’s developed into a complete receiver and has helped spear-head a Tennessee offense that has been one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

“I think he’s truly becoming one of the better receivers in this league,” Burns said. “He can be as good as he wants to be, as long as he continues to progress, buy into what we’re doing, which he has, and I think he’s going to be a really good player.”

“Who he is as a person and his buy-in immediately, his work habits from the moment that I stepped foot on campus,” Josh Heupel added. “His development in the strength and conditioning, the strength that he’s gained, functional speed and then he’s just continued to work. He’s a guy that’s tireless in understanding what we do offensively. Watches a ton of film, and then puts in a ton of time.”

Tillman is just 275 yards away from an 1,000 yard receiving season. With two games left and a likely bowl game, Tillman should eclipse that with relative ease.

“Getting this experience this year, it definitely has given me more confidence,” Tillman said. “The teammates who have been here, I feel like they know what I’ve been able to do, and I know what I’ve been able to do.

"I’ve always known I can do this."