The Tennessee Vols are hoping that one of their best players on defense is going to be ready for the 2025 season.
CB Jermod McCoy, per Austin Price of VolQuest, suffered a torn ACL during an offseason workout.
BREAKING: Tennessee All-American corner @Jermodmccoy suffered a knee injury training. He has undergone surgery to repair his knee. When is he projected to be back? ⤵️⤵️⤵️https://t.co/KGDQc055eM
— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) January 15, 2025
Price says McCoy has already had surgery and has an expected return date “near” the start of the 2025 season, or at least he’s currently projected to be.
I’ll say…..even if he is ready for the opener, the question remains as to whether he will step right back in and become the player out of the gate that he was last season. An ACL is obviously a significant injury that has a sweet spot of an 8-9 month recovery time, although obviously no case is the same and some players come back more quickly (and some take longer, like Dolphins OLB Bradley Chubb, who missed over a year with his torn ACL from December 2023).
McCoy, a sophomore transfer from Oregon State, had a terrific year in his first season with the Big Orange. He was the third-highest rated player on the defense per Pro Football Focus with a sterling grade of 87.0 and a team-high 89.4 coverage mark. He had a 50% catch allowed rate (31 catches on 62 targets), allowing only 2 touchdowns for the season while compiling a team-high 13 passes defended with 4 interceptions and 9 pass breakups.
We’ll see if the Vols find a contingency option for McCoy in the transfer portal, or at least someone who could provide quality depth. Per Steve Wiltfong of On3 Sports, the Vols are getting Purdue transfer CB Kyndrich Breedlove – who has committed to Arizona State – on campus for a visit.