Next man up is a mantra that’s repeated often and is far too often disingenuous. There’s typically a reason why the guy behind the starter isn’t on the field; he’s not as talented as the player who just went down.
But in the case of Tennessee WR Dont’e Thornton, that’s not the case. At least not physically.
Thornton is big. 6’5” 214-pounds big. He’s fast. 24.3 miles per hour fast (according to him). Those are tools that few coaches are going to be able to go to pull from the bench.
But Josh Heupel has that luxury.