Nathan Leacock, a four-star wide receiver, was one of the Tennessee Volunteers’ top recruits in the 2023 class.
Leacock, a 6-foot-3/217-pound wide receiver from Rolesville, North Carolina, was ranked No. 13 in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class and No. 3 in the state of North Carolina.
The former four-star prospect appeared in just one game as a true freshman in 2023. He was mostly an afterthought despite entering as a highly rated recruit (which isn’t a big concern because every athlete develops at their own speed).
As the 2024 season approaches, Leacock has not been touted as a wide receiver who is projected to contribute this fall.
But that could be a mistake.
Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope visited with media on Thursday and provided a good update on the North Carolina native.
“I think that guy’s done a great job this off season,” Pope remarked on Thursday when questioned about Leacock. “He caught the most balls this offseason. He has anything between 12,000 and 13,000 balls, so he has a lot of room to expand. He’s altered his body. He’s healthy and playing fast right now. And, while you keep asking about growth from everyone, I believe that competition is the genuine equalizer.
“We’ve done an excellent job of bringing talent into that room, and when there is talent, there is an expectation to make plays, right? And while each guy in the room does that, there’s a guy on the sidelines looking like, “Man, I gotta go make that play because I got to earn playing time.” And that has been a significant factor in our success so far this offseason.”
The Vols have a deep roster of wide receivers, so Leacock will have to work his way onto the field. However, he appears to have a positive attitude heading into the 2024 season. And he certainly have innate talent. If Leacock puts it all together and gets a chance this fall, he could end up contributing more to this Tennessee squad in 2024 than anyone anticipated.
