Tennessee flipped a major target on National Signing Day, landing 4-star wideout Malachi Wideman over Florida State, Ole Miss and Oregon.
Wideman officially visited the Vols on Jan. 17, with Chris Weinke and head coach Jeremy Pruitt leading the charge for the explosive playmaker who Rivals.com ranks as the nation's No. 56 prospect.
Like Dee Beckwith, who signed with Tennessee earlier Wednesday, Wideman is a two-sport star at Venice (Fla.), throwing down vicious dunks and catching touchdowns.
Here’s a closer look at what his addition means…
SCOUTING REPORT
“Wideman has a bigger upside than almost any receiver in this entire class just because of the pure athlete he is. You can see it on his football film and his basketball film.
The only thing that’s held him back a bit is he’s not really a polished football player quite yet because he has split so much of his time between two sports, but that also makes his ceiling incredible. If he ever figures it out, gets his route running polished, figures out how to come in and out of his breaks, his athleticism is off the charts. He’s the type of guy who could be an All-American type athlete depending on the type of coaching he receives.
This is a low-risk, high-reward situation for Tennessee. At worst you’re getting a great athlete you can put at multiple places on the field, and at best, you’re getting an All-American wide receiver that doesn’t come around a lot. He’s going to be an interesting one to follow his career and see what happens.”
— Rob Cassidy, Rivals analyst
HOW WILL WIDEMAN FIT WITH THE VOLS?
The 6-5, 190-pound receiver is a dynamic leaper and jumper. He’s a matchup nightmare in the red zone with his ability to play “above the rim.” He has a ridiculous catch radius, too.
Wideman is a prospect who once played on the same basketball team as Zaire Wade, the son of former Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Just two years ago, he brought Wade and LeBron James to their feet with some vicious dunks.
He brings those same attributes to the gridiron, catching 65 balls for 1064 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.
He’s a different type of receiver than the Vols currently have on the roster, especially after losing Marquez Callaway. Wideman is a real deep threat and red zone target and could compete for snaps right away in an open receiver room.
WHAT WIDEMAN’S ADDITION MEANS FOR TENNESSEE
By adding the bouncy 4-star receiver to the mix, Tennessee has reloaded quite well at the receiver position.
The Vols landed a quartet of high-ceiling prospects in Wideman, Beckwith, Jalin Hyatt and Jimmy Calloway.
Wideman has the best raw tools of the bunch, but all four guys have legit SEC ability. If they develop properly, this 2020 crop could go down as one of Tennessee’s better receiving hauls in the last 15 years.
