Return of Von Pearson a Significant Boost to Tennessee Offense

The Tennessee Volunteers enter the 2015 season with elevated expectations after getting ranked No. 25 in the initial preseason Coaches Poll. There is pressure building on Rocky Top for the Vols to once again become SEC contenders and Butch Jones got some significant help to reach that goal when he reinstated wide receiver Von Pearson.

Pearson had been suspended from the team since he was named as a suspect by Knoxville police in a rape investigation. After gathering and reviewing evidence in the case, the prosecutors decided that there was not sufficient evidence against Pearson to file criminal charges. Just two days later, Tennessee reinstated him to the football team and expect him to be a full participant in practice on Saturday.

His return is big news for a Vols offense looking to build off the continuity of young, talented core. Pearson, a senior who joined Tennessee last season after two years of junior college, finished second on the team in receptions (38) and yards (393) while leading the team in touchdowns (5) despite being slowed by an ankle injury that sidelined him for two games. The 6-foot-3, 183-pound pass-catcher provides a big, reliable target in the passing game with a demonstrated ability to find the end zone.

While the Tennessee receiving corps was far from thin heading into 2015 (the team welcomes back seven players who recorded at least 20 receptions and 200 yards receiving), the ability to rely on a playmaker like Pearson is a serious boost. While Jones has said that Pearson will have to “work his way back” and earn playing time, he has shown the ability to be a difference maker on the field and a potential leader of the Tennessee offense in 2015.

The news that Pearson will not be charged in this rape investigation may not completely absolve him in the court of public opinion, but it opens the door for him to find redemption on the football field with his teammates in 2015. Will he emerge as the playmaker that the Vols need this fall?

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