Bru McCoy’s Connections to Tennessee and His Rocky Top Revival
Alfred Ezman
A West Coast transplant from Southern California, Bru McCoy moved more than 2,000 miles across the country to Knoxville, Tennessee, this summer—suiting up in Big Orange and seizing a new opportunity on Rocky Top. The redshirt junior wide receiver enrolled at UT in May 2022 and immediately began working to improve his craft, looking to carve out a role in head coach Josh Heupel’s well known, high-flying offense.
Long before making the decision to transfer to UT, McCoy cultivated lifelong friendships with a pair of Volunteer lettermen: starting placekicker Chase McGrath and current Chicago Bears wideout Velus Jones Jr. The trio began their respective collegiate careers at Southern Cal before eventually finding home sweet home in Knoxville.
McCoy’s relationship with McGrath dates back to their days at Mater Dei High School, a football powerhouse located in Santa Ana, California. Years later, the two are once again reunited as teammates and roommates, helping the Vols to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2016 and a No. 6 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25.
When McCoy entered the transfer portal in January, contact from numerous Power 5 programs came flooding in. His interest was piqued by Tennessee, and he knew he would get the best insight from a long-time friend who had just completed his first season kicking for the Big Orange as a grad transfer. McGrath remembers the conversations fondly.
“Once I found out Bru was leaving USC and entered the portal, I was in conversation with him,” McGrath recalled. “We were close friends anyways, so it was not really that difficult for us to talk about it. I told him about my experience with the staff and the culture, about just how amazing it is.”
According to McGrath, McCoy was also able to lean on Jones’ perspective as a wide receiver within Heupel’s offensive scheme. The 2022 NFL draftee had a breakout campaign last fall, finishing the 2021 season with 62 catches for 807 yards and seven touchdowns before being selected No. 71 overall by the Bears.
“He was also able to get the receiver perspective from Velus,” McGrath added. “We experienced the staffs together here, and just how amazing and positive they truly are. He was told how the offense would benefit him from Velus.”
After three seasons at USC, McCoy had a good impression of Tennessee in his own mind as a prime target for his next destination. On top of the high-octane offense, he found comfort and reassurance in the quality of people working to build the Vols back to prominence.
The biggest appeal for me was the style of offense. You saw it from last year. The connections were big with having Velus and Chase here. They really explained the quality of people here outside of football. I am a people person, so when they said they had a great offense with quality people running it, that is what appealed to me.- Bru McCoy
Of course, every program in the country touts a great culture and family atmosphere during the recruiting process—but it was McCoy’s trust in McGrath that solidified his belief in the Big Orange.
“I knew he Chase would not lead me astray … We had good talking points, so we just kind of compared notes. We just have such a good relationship, and I was open to listening to what he had to say.”
As a true freshman in 2019, McCoy bonded with Jones and looked up to him as a mentor on and off the field. That relationship paid dividends three years later as Bru began contemplating his next move.
Velus was one of the first guys I meet when I got to USC. He went into even more detail on how the system works and how you fit in as a receiver. We definitely talked more as friends and not as much ball. It was about moving forward in life with the best place to be in and how to be happy.- Bru
Teammates and coaches alike have described McCoy as a relentless hard worker, logging several hours in the football complex over the summer in preparation for the season. He immediately connected with fan-favorite Vol wideout Cedric Tillman, whose workman’s mentality was widely regarded as the key to his 1,081-yard receiving campaign for UT last fall.
“We both come from the West Coast, so we can relate there,” McCoy said of Tillman. “We played each other in high school, so there was a pre-existing relationship there. Me and him connected when I first got here and helped me come in as a part of this team … We knew we had something special.”
McCoy also took time to settle into East Tennessee during the summer, highlighted by a visit to Dollywood and a two-hour cruise along the Tennessee River. Although different than the Southern California environment he grew up in, he has embraced Rocky Top and felt the support from Tennessee fans throughout the past five months.
“Knoxville is a beautiful place. The people are so amazing and really kind. They are very welcoming. I have always felt really comfortable here.”
Standing 6-3 and weighing in at 220 pounds, the big target has flourished through his first five starts for the Vols and has improved week-to-week over the course of the season. He enters Saturday’s matchup against No. 3 Alabama coming off back-to-back 100-yard games (102 vs. Florida, 140 at LSU) in his first two appearances in SEC play.
Vols wide receiver coach Kelsey Pope has high praise for McCoy and spoke to his physical attributes, stating, “Bru has been a pleasant surprise. He has been really good for a guy who hasn’t played in a season … There are some things you can coach and some things you can’t coach. That guy has a lot of things you can’t coach.”
McCoy says that Pope’s receiving corps in particular has great chemistry that has helped both on and off the field with the foundation of a tireless ethic.
I know how much effort this room has been putting in and know about the hard-working habits we have built. It is one thing to go and attack it on the field, but it is another thing to come off the field and put in an extra hour or two hours in the film room, or to even keep your body in good standing … Every guy in there has bought in to the overall culture we are trying to accomplish.- Bru
The culture has also been a big factor in pushing McCoy to new heights with his own game. He has also sensed a change in the goals and standards set by the Volunteer football team from earlier in the season.
Coming in at the time, I would say there was a culture shift with expectations … As we have trended in the right direction, everyone expects to win. And that should be the expectation. That is the mindset I live life with.
The winning has continued for the Vols throughout the season thanks to performances like ones that McCoy has put together. Vol Nation has embraced the West Coast product, as evident by the fans’ booming ‘BRUUU’ chants belted out every time he touches the ball.
“I want to thank the fans just for being so welcoming. I am more than gracious every day. It is an unbelievable blessing to get to play for this university and for this team … We are just getting started.”
McCoy has found a home where he can shine thanks to the help of some old friends who reside here on Rocky Top. He has become a big-time offensive weapon and fan-favorite who is working hard to give Volunteer fans more to cheer about, and the ‘BRUUU’ chant will surely continue to ring throughout Neyland Stadium.