For Braylon Staley, a social media post that had the Tennessee fans celebrating his return for the 2026 season nearly sent his dad to the ER! The confusion stemmed from the way the announcement was worded by On3’s Pete Nakos. 

Nakos reported, “Tennessee WR Braylon Staley has re-signed with the Volunteers for the 2026 season.”

In an era where over 4,700 players have entered the transfer portal, Nakos reported that the wideout had officially “re-signed” with the Vols. So, obviously, his father might have interpreted that “signing” news as a one-way ticket out of town. But when he realised, he wasted no time and reposted the tweet, sharing the hilarious episode.

“@PeteNakos you got to announce this a lil better.. You scared me!! I thought he changed his mind and didn’t tell me and his mom!!🤣🤣🤣🤣 LET’S GO ROCKY TOP!!🍊🍊🍊🍊.”

But this kind of “portal panic” has become almost routine for college football families. The 48hr saga of what happened with Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr, of him signing with the team and then opting to go to the transfer portal, and then apologizing and getting back- is proof enough.

Nonetheless, the reaction of Brian Staley makes sense, afterall he has lived the grind himself. A former junior college All-American cornerback at Georgia Military College, he later played at Mississippi State – long before the transfer portal churn and the NIL structure became the norm.

Now, as a Freshman of the Year honoree and a top‑10 in league production, Josh Heupel would not want his prized wide receiver in Braylon Staley, to leave. And nor did his dad. “If you work hard, it comes,” he shared with his son in September 2025. “If you don’t, man, okay, somebody else will take it.”

That same motivation fueled his rise. From a freshman who saw limited action to leading the WR room (after Chris Brazzell).

Braylon Staley’s return gives respite to Josh Heupel’s offense

Although Braylon Staley redshirted his freshman year, his talent was never in question. His high school resume gave a glimpse of his brimming talent. As the 2023 Class 2A Upper State Offensive Player of the Year, he recorded 1,116 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior.

In the 2024 season, he appeared in just four games, owing to his redshirt. But those performances were enough for analysts to gauge his future potential.

“Braylon Staley is a guy, for me, that’s kind of stood out,” VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs shared in March 2025. “I like him because he catches the ball with his hands….I think he certainly sees an opportunity that he didn’t have a year ago with Squirrel White and other guys that they had that are no longer here. I think he sees this as go time for him. He’s gotten off to a nice start. Mike Matthews has gotten off to a quality start as well.”

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So far, he has recorded 68 receptions for nearly 850 yards and six touchdowns. At a time when Brazell is leaving for the draft, Braylon’s return to Rocky Top couldn’t come at a more opportune time. He led the SEC in receiving yards per game and became just the third Vol ever to win SEC Freshman of the Year. With that, he now joins Jamal Lewis and Peyton Manning’s legacy at Knoxville.