UT WR coach discusses turning newfound star Jauan Jennings from QB to WR
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings has turned into a cult hero in Knoxville — after leaping up and catching the game-winning 43-yard toss from Josh Dobbs in the victory over Georgia.
Publicity has been endless in regards to the former high school quarterback. Not only that, but Jennings has been yucking it up with the local press (whilst also poking fun at a hated rival in the process):
Where does this rank in terms of catches you’ve made?
“I’d say 2nd behind burning Tabor.” – Jauan Jennings (h/t @TimesFreePress) pic.twitter.com/jaYNF3gTCe
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 2, 2016
Interestingly enough, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni made a very fascinating comparison when talking about Jennings and one of his former players at Central Michigan. Azzanni came to Knoxville with Butch Jones when he was hired as the head coach at Tennessee.
While Jennings was a quarterback in high school, he was also a fantastic athlete. Azzanni saw his potential as a receiver, and made this pitch:
Azzanni said it wasn't hard to convince Jennings to move from QB. Told Jennings he could sit bench at QB or catch fade routes for touchdowns
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) October 5, 2016
From a recruiting standpoint, Azzanni coached a very special player during his time at CMU. He — like Jennings — was also a former high school quarterback before making the switch from throwing passes to catching them:
Azzanni said he loves WRs who have been high school QBs, like Jauan Jennings. Said Antonio Brown was a HS quarterback.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) October 5, 2016
Jennings has developed into one of Josh Dobbs most reliable targets. If he continues on this trajectory, there’s no telling how good he will be.