Let’s just face it, Tennessee hasn’t been dealt a great hand so far on the injury report in 2025. It all began back in January when star cornerback Jermod McCoy tore his ACL during an offseason workout. That continued late in fall camp as defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs went down and was ruled out for the next several weeks. It got worse against Syracuse in the opener with both Jaxson Moi and Rickey Gibson exiting early.
None of those four were able to play on Saturday against Georgia, and their absences
were felt in several key spots of the game. Two position groups that were considered pretty deep suddenly were forced to rely on either inexperience or bloated snap counts, and it showed.
True freshman cornerback Ty Redmond, who has been outstanding to start the season, was forced to play every single snap at cornerback. Colton Hood was in the same boat, along with safety Andre Turrentine. On the defensive line, a spot where Tennessee likes to keep things fresh, the Volunteers played Dominic Bailey and Bryson Eason over 65 snaps each.
And yet — Tennessee was on the doorstep of knocking through a potential game-winning field goal to take down Georgia. They were literally a defensive play here or there from closing things out just before that. Even Kirby Smart knew after the game that his team was mighty fortunate to escape.
An added veteran back in the lineup, and who knows, you may have a very different outcome on Saturday afternoon. Those big spots where Redmond was picked on or maybe where your big defensive tackles were starting to get worn down, maybe they don’t happen. Maybe they do, but Tennessee’s lack of options were on full display and that’s something that’s going to have to change. It’s just not sustainable.
The issue, particularly in the secondary, is that Tennessee is down to a handful of freshmen. Tre Poteat, Sidney Walton, Dylan Lewis, Tim Merritt, Marcus Goree — likely none of these guys expected to play this season, but they’re all on the doorstep should something happen. Expect them all to get their feet wet again on Saturday against UAB.
It’s largely believed that Tennessee won’t get back Rickey Gibson this season. Jermod McCoy is expected back, but nobody seems to know when that will come. In the meantime, a tricky trip to Starkville looms in two weeks ahead of a much-needed open date to begin October. You’d at least hope to have Hobbs and Moi back after that bye week, maybe sooner.
What will Tennessee do with the secondary? Boo Carter got just 28 snaps, once again giving way to Jalen McMurray, who had 55. Could we see McMurray get more work on the outside? That likely depends on where the staff is with Carter. Regardless, Hood and Redmond playing all the snaps probably isn’t something that should happen again. Maybe a veteran special teamer like William Wright gets a legitimate look.
And lets just be honest, the Volunteers need McCoy back as soon as possible. Until then, Tim Banks and Willie Martinez have some youth to get up to speed quickly.
