Ryan Callahan

The guy catching passes and wearing a blank orange jersey for the Tennessee football team isn’t a newcomer waiting to be assigned a jersey number.

He’s not a walk-on, either.

That’s just Brandon Warren, the former Class 2A Mr. Football at Alcoa High School.

So why is the Volunteers’ tight end-turned-wide receiver, who has turned a few heads this spring in his first work as a wideout since high school, no longer donning his usual No. 1 jersey?

The way Warren explains it, it’s a motivational tactic.

“I need to get my swag back,” he said Tuesday. “I’m going with the blank jersey until I feel like I’m back to No. 1. We kind of sat down, me and (receivers) Coach (Frank) Wilson and Coach Kiffin. I went to them about it, because there’s just some things I need to work on. When I work them out and feel comfortable, Coach (Kiffin) said he’ll make sure I get my number back.”

Warren spoke to reporters after finding himself as the target of several fade passes during UT’s red-zone work Tuesday in the team’s first practice after a 10-day layoff for spring break.

He addressed why he approached new coach Lane Kiffin earlier in the offseason about moving to wide receiver, a position that seems to suit him well based on his size.

At 6 feet 2 inches and 216 pounds, he was a bit undersized at tight end. He could translate, however, into a big wide receiver with adequate speed.

“I knew from watching (Southern Cal) film that (Kiffin) liked big receivers. … I can play tight end, but I felt like I could be a better wide receiver in this offense than I would a tight end,” Warren said. “It’s easier to cut weight than put on for me.”

Junior receiver Gerald Jones is among the teammates who have raved about Warren’s progress. He already has high hopes for Warren.

Once he gets his number back, that is.

“He’s a big receiver who can move, and he’s shifty,” Jones said of Warren. “We use him in a lot of ways. He runs pretty good routes. … He’s going to be a big part of this offense.”