Background: When the nation’s leader in receiving yards per game was born in 1984, his parents in Tulsa, Okla., threw a football, a basketball and a rope into his crib. Yes, Meachem is one reason the Vols’ offense has taken off this year, but he could very well be haunting calves instead of cornerbacks. He comes from a line of cowboys and calf ropers. Meachem grew up on a farm with cattle, chickens, goats, horses – and a rodeo arena. He was so good at roping a dummy calf his father built him, he started roping visitors’ feet as they left the house. “It got so everybody who came to visit would ask, ‘Where is that boy?’ before they’d walk out the door,” his mother, Beverly, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He became a five-star recruit and the No. 2 receiver in the country out of Booker T. Washington High.
Stat line: The junior, Tennessee’s top receiver the past two years, leads the nation with 112.5 yards per game on 19.9 yards per catch and six touchdowns.
What’s up: While his father, Robert Sr., still calls football “one of the dumbest sports in the world,” Robert Meachem Jr. is becoming one of the nation’s best receivers while playing with a chip on his shoulder. The Vols’ 5-6 record last season cost the job of offensive coordinator Randy Sanders, among others, and brought back David Cutcliffe. “We feel like it’s our fault in a lot of cases,” Meachem told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “For me, I feel like I dropped a lot of key balls in some major games that probably would have some of those coaches still here.”
What’s next: Eighth-ranked Tennessee (5-1, 1-1 SEC) is off this week and hosts Alabama (4-2, 1-2) on Oct. 21.
Henderson’s take: Meachem has overcome worse than just the loss of his offensive coordinator. His niece, Tammie Brown, died when he was 13. His parents divorced. Financial problems dragged down their small farm. He also is coping with fatherhood. His year-old daughter, Adriannia, lives with her mother in Memphis, Tenn. “Having a child makes you grow up fast,” Meachem told the Times Free Press. “I have to think about her future. I’m not going to be some deadbeat dad.”
