The Tennessee Volunteers are proving doubters wrong as the season progresses. Not many gave the Vols a fighting chance to make the College Football Playoff, but nearly halfway through the season, Tennessee is showing they belong in the conversation. With the toughest part of their SEC schedule approaching, the Vols were hoping to have cornerback Jermod McCoy back from injury. However, that now appears unlikely.
“He’s got more to go. I think it’s all about him being prepared to go play. There’s a lot of things that go into that. You look at the position he plays, all the reactionary work that you have to have in so your always balancing his ability to be prepared and short-term, long-term health as well,” head coach Josh Heupel said.
An anonymous source has indicated that McCoy will not be available this weekend, though no official media update has been released yet.
“Tennessee football cornerback Jermod McCoy has not been medically cleared yet from an ACL injury to make his 2025 season debut, a source confirmed to Knox News,” Knox News’ Adam Sparks wrote.
While this doesn’t confirm anything officially, On3’s Pete Nakos also reported that McCoy is unlikely to play Saturday.
“Tennessee’s Josh Heupel said Monday that cornerback Jermod McCoy ‘continues to do a great job in his rehab’ but did not offer up a timeline for his return. Sources tell clowfb and I for On3sports that McCoy is unlikely to play against Arkansas,” Nakos posted.
While this might not be great news for Arkansas, it could be a strategic decision by Tennessee to keep McCoy fresh for next weekend’s critical road game at Alabama. In that sense, sitting him this week could be a blessing in disguise.
There’s no doubt McCoy is one of the top cornerbacks in all of college football. Still, the Vols aren’t going to take any risks that could jeopardize his long-term health. If this is all part of a plan to have him return for the Alabama matchup, he and Colton Hood will be the primary defenders tasked with slowing down the Crimson Tide’s passing attack.
