It just doesn’t get easier for Josh Heupel this season. After a dramatic off-season, Tennessee’s already rickety receiver corps suffered its biggest blow. WR Chris Brazzell II was arrested over the weekend, sending an already concerning Vols offense into more despair. Heupel now stands to lose one of his most promising members on the offense. The timing and the amount of talent that could potentially be lost with Brazzell’s arrest are worrying Vols fans.

Brazzell is one of the key receivers returning in 2025, in an offense that’s seeing a complete overhaul after the departure of Nico Iamaleava. With 29 receptions for 333 yards and 2 TDs, he was going to be a key member of the WR room. Josh Heupel not only has an uncertain picture at quarterback, but the situation with the WR room is equally hazy. Brazzell was one receiver who could have been a reliable figure. Now, even that aspect has become a mystery after being caught in a legal run-in.

On August 8, Chris Brazzell was arrested for speeding and driving without a valid license. He was picked up downtown, near the UT campus, for clocking 60 mph in a 35-mph zone. The WR gave his US passport when asked for documents while claiming he didn’t have his driver’s license with him at that time. Further checks revealed that Brazzell’s license was suspended after failing to appear in court in a 2024 hearing. Knox News says that because of his court absence record, the police arrested him. Brazzell will be produced in court on August 20.

“We are aware of the traffic stop involving Chris Brazzell II and have no further comment at this time,” a UT spokesperson told Knox News. Tennessee has not yet announced a punishment for the WR, which throws his future into limbo at the moment. Having played only one season with the Vols after transferring from Tulane, Chris Brazzell, for now, was a player Josh Heupel could rest his hopes on. His arrest casts a significant darkness over the Tennessee squad, which has already been through a lot this offseason.

What Josh Heupel could lose in Chris Brazzell

It’s tough to sometimes recall that Tennessee is returning in 2025 after a playoff appearance last year. In a span of just one year, almost everything in the Vols squad has changed. Josh Heupel is still deciding between Joey Aguilar, George McIntyre and Jake Merklinger for the QB1 role. And in the receivers room, save for Brazzell and Mike Matthews, there is no other healthy receiver with experience to show. The former is one of only 7 scholarship WRs in the Tennessee squad. Apart from him, 3 of them have college experience. Brazzell himself wasn’t 100% healthy, coming back from an undisclosed injury. “You can literally count Tennessee’s healthy scholarship wide receivers (5) on one hand,” Adam Sparks wrote on X.

Last year with Tennessee, Brazzell’s yardage was the third-highest on the board. His best play came in the Alabama game, where he dove for a 16-yard TD pass with just 5:52 remaining on the clock. It earned Tennessee one of its biggest wins of the season. At Tulane too, Chris Brazzell made waves. In his freshman season, the WR caught 44 passes for 711 yards and tallied 5 TDs. He led the receiving corps that year, also earning All-AAC Third team honors. That’s why Chris Brazzell was such a key piece of the rocky offense Josh Heupel was going to roll out this season.

Josh Heupel has crossed lots of hurdles in these past few months. When one trouble ended, the other reared its head quickly. This seems to have become a recurring problem plaguing the HC, who is now in deep trouble. Chris Brazzell’s arrest throws things into disarray once again.