Tennessee secondary coach Anthony Poindexter said “you just got to roll on faith” when pushing an inexperienced player into the lineup to replace an injured veteran.
Tight ends coach Alec Abeln said contingency plans are immediately activated when a player goes down. But their replacements can alter that plan with their play.
Both assistant coaches spent much of their press conference on Sept. 22 talking about how they’re replacing injured players heading into the Texas game.
Poindexter lost starting safety Edrees Farooq to a torn patellar tendon in preseason. Ablen lost starting tight Ethan Davis to a torn ACL in a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech.
It’s a coincidence that Poindexter and Abeln spoke with the media on the same day. But it’s an indication
that roster attrition is already a factor as No. 13 Tennessee (3-0) prepares to play No. 1 Texas (3-0) on Sept. 26 (noon ET, ABC) at Neyland Stadium in the SEC opener.
Five Tennessee players have suffered season-ending injuries, including kick returner/backup receiver Joakim Dodson (leg), reserve linebacker Jaedon Harmon (knee) and Miami transfer cornerback Jadais Richard (upper-body).
What SEC availability report will reveal on Tennessee injuries
The SEC availability report will be released at approximately 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 23, and it will be updated daily until game time. That’s where Tennessee and Texas must provide the status of their injured players – probable, questionable, doubtful or out.
Health is already a factor for the Vols.
A deep running back rotation has grown shallow, and that’s not just because DeSean Bishop left the Kennesaw State game with an injury. Minor injuries have weakened the defensive line. Inexperience at tight end may condense the Vols’ playbook. And a recent injury in the secondary may add insult to injury following the loss of Farooq.
There’s no sense of panic in the Vols. After all, injuries pile up for most teams every season, and they often find a way to adjust. This isn’t an anomaly. It’s reality in college football.
But attrition will be relevant in the 2026 season as SEC teams wade through a nine-game conference schedule for the first time in history.
That starts with the Texas game. But it’s just the first step in a season the Vols hope doesn’t turn into a collective limp. Here are some areas of concern.
Dylan Lewis injury strains safety after losing Edrees Farooq
Sophomore safety Dylan Lewis left the Kennesaw State game with an apparent foot injury that required a walking boot. Tennessee has not commented on the severity of his injury, but the SEC availability report should provide some clarity.
When Farooq was lost for the season, Lewis moved from the No. 4 safety to No. 3 behind starters TJ Metcalf and Dejuan Lane.
If Lewis is limited or unavailable for the Texas game, the Vols have a few options. Sophomore Sidney Walton could assume Lewis’ playing time. Starting nickelback Qua Moss could slide to safety, likely being replaced by Tevis Metcalf at nickelback.
Tennessee could play three linebackers and four defensive backs in a 4-3 formation to take the burden off the secondary. But that likely would present problems in defending against quarterback Arch Manning and the talented Texas wide receiving corps.
Tight ends dropped off, but by how much?
Tennessee must determine if it can thrive in formations with two tight ends against Texas. South Alabama transfer Trent Thomas is a surefire starter.
But the question is whether sophomore DaSaahn Brame or freshman Luca Wolf can fill Davis’ role against SEC competition. They started that process against Kennesaw State with moderate results.
But Brame, an athletic tight end, has only one reception for 7 yards this season.
“(Davis) is a special player, so I’m not going to sit here say that it doesn’t change us a little bit,” Abeln said. “But I have confidence with guys in the room. I don’t think there’s a huge drop off.”
DeSean Bishop isn’t the only injured running back
Coach Josh Heupel said he expects Bishop to be “fully ready to go” against Texas after he left the Kennesaw State game with what appeared to be a hip injury.
Running backs Javin Gordon and Justin Baker also missed that game due to injury.
If Bishop and Gordon return, it’ll fortify the rotation along with Daune Morris. But Baker is wearing a cast on his hand after partially blocking a punt in the Georgia Tech game, so he likely won’t be a factor in the backfield for a while.
Defensive line can’t afford even minor injuries
Veteran defensive linemen Daevin Hobbs and Nathan Robinson missed the Kennesaw State game for what appeared to be minor injuries. The Vols need both to return to clog the Texas ground game and pressure Manning.
The defensive line was down one player long before the season started. Edge rusher Chaz Coleman, a five-star transfer from Penn State, was medically disqualified on June 26 and left the program.
The defensive line rotation is already young with sophomores Mariyon Dye, Ethan Utley, Isaiah Campbell and freshmen Kedric Golston and JJ Finch getting notable playing time.
Is Donovan Haslam ready to step into guard spot?
Offensive line has been relatively healthy. But there’s an ongoing competition at right guard where starter Sham Umarov has struggled and West Virginia transfer Donovan Haslam is trying to work into shape after a preseason injury.
Coach Glen Elarbee usually prefers to play veterans. So despite missing some blocks, Umarov has played 161 snaps, the fourth-most among offensive players.
Haslam is 6-foot-3, 350 pounds. He’s a powerful lineman, but minor injuries and conditioning limited his impact in preseason. He’s played only 76 snaps, but Heupel said his playing time should increase.
“Physicality is one of (Haslam’s) best traits. (He is) a guy that in the middle of the training camp was nicked up for a while,” Heupel said. “I think he’s starting to play himself into better shape and played well the other night (against Kennesaw State).”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: As injuries pile up, Tennessee football starts SEC attrition test in Texas game
