ORLANDO, Fla. — Tennessee’s wide receivers room will have one major piece back next season .

Bru McCoy, who missed much of the 2023 season with an injury, will return to the team for the Vols’ 2024 campaign.

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McCoy made the announcement on X Tuesday night.

McCoy arrived at Tennessee as a transfer from Southern California ahead of the 2022 season.

He caught 48 passes for 619 yards and three touchdowns. McCoy’s first down reception set up Chase McGrath’s game-winning field goal in the Vols’ 52-49 victory against Alabama last season.

McCoy was expected to make an even bigger impact after Cedric Tillman left for the NFL, but suffered a season-ending right ankle injury in the first half vs. South Carolina on Sept. 30.

His loss left a void to fill on the Tennessee offense. The Vols played a number of players on the outside in his absence, including Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Kaleb Webb.

With McCoy returning, it bolsters the position, which is expected to return Webb, Thornton, Squirrel White, Chas Nimrod and Nathan Leacock while adding incoming five-star freshman Mike Matthews and Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell, among others.

McCoy also provides a consistent target for quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who will be a redshirt sophomore after impressing in his starting debut in the Citrus Bowl in Tennessee's 35-0 win over Iowa on New Year's Day.

“I’m trying to get Bru back,” Iamaleava told reporters ahead of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Thursday. “It’s huge, man. I think a guy like that coming back, he’ll be the leader of the receiver room — we’ll be a little young next year, so just him coming back would be huge for me and I’m working on it.”

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