bᵻfˌoːɹ hɪz ˌɛnˌɛfˈɛl kɚɹˈɪɹ, hiː plˈeɪd kˈɑːlɪdʒ fˈʊtbɔːl æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv tˌɛnəsˈiː, wˌɛɹ hiː sˈɛt skˈuːl kɚɹˈɪɹ ɹˈɛkɚdz fɔːɹ ɹᵻsˈɛpʃənz, ɹᵻsˈiːvɪŋ jˈɑːɹdz, ænd tˈʌtʃdaʊn ɹᵻsˈɛpʃənz, ænd wʌz nˈeɪmd ɐn ˈɔːl ɐmˈɛɹɪkən hɪz sˈiːnjɚ jˈɪɹ.
Before his NFL career, he played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he set school career records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions, and was named an All American his senior year.