McGee attended John Hay High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was taught the wide receiver position by Coach Sonny Harris.
[4] McGee was recruited to Tennessee by fellow John Hay alumnus Anthony Hancock, who had been a star receiver at UT, and was a first-round draft pick in 1982.
In spite of playing in such a stacked receiving corps, McGee caught 123 passes for 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns during his career, all of which were school records.
He quickly picked up Tennessee's offensive scheme, however, and after a strong spring practice in 1983, had worked his way into the starting rotation alongside Duncan and Taylor.
[8] He caught 3 passes for 70 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown, in the Vols' 37–14 loss to Auburn, and was named the team's "Offensive Player of the Game."
[17] McGee had 105 receiving yards against Rutgers,[18] 117 against Ole Miss,[19] and 108 against Kentucky (including two touchdowns that launched a second-half rout).
[20][21] McGee finished the 1985 regular season with 50 catches for 947 yards and 7 touchdowns, helping lead Tennessee to the SEC Championship.
[26] McGee's single-season record of 54 catches, set in 1984, was broken by Thomas Woods, who caught 58 passes in 1988, and has since been surpassed multiple times.
[28] In 1988, he caught 36 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns, assisting the Bengals to a 12–4 record and a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXIII.
[29] In the Super Bowl, McGee caught two passes for 23 yards, including a key 18-yard reception that set up Cincinnati's first score of the game.