Tennessee's mounting injuries creating concern for Vols
Josh Pate details the growing list of injuries in fall camp for the Volunteers — from Chaz Coleman to Arion Carter's suspension to safety Edrees Farooq's scrimmage injury — and explains how Tennessee's identity must crystallize around their offensive line and running game. Subscribe to "Josh Pate's College Football Show" on YouTube .
Video Transcript
Every August, every fall camp when they open, we have two or three teams across the country that we feel start to become like disproportionately snake bitten, whether it's injuries or whether it's guys just not there.
Tennessee's kind of becoming one of those teams to me.
So Chaz Coleman, that's long since been documented.
He comes to Tennessee by way of Penn State, but n- is never gonna play a down because he just doesn't wanna play there.
So then Arian Carter, the linebacker, one of the big time players for them on defense, he gets suspended.
He's gonna be out for two games, then he'll return.
Jadarius Richard, the corner, he's out for the year.
Now Farooq, starting safety, just goes down, I think in the scrimmage, right Jesse?
He goes down in the scrimmage.
Ethan Davis, the tight end, still hadn't practiced.
Harmon, a linebacker earlier, lost him for the year.
So you can't bubble wrap people.
You gotta practice.
You gotta hit.
You gotta tackle.
You've gotta work on this sort of thing.
Eventually it's just the, the law of averages tends to go disproportionately against someone every August, and I-- this is not insurmountable for Tennessee, it's just it hasn't been a great August for them.
They, on both lines of the scrimmage, I think need some honesty here.
If we're talking about Tennessee line of scrimmage, we gotta be honest, 'cause there's good and there's question mark.
The good is that offensive line will be very solid.
If they stay healthy there, there's seven, eight, nine guys they think they can win with.
And if you combine that with what they'll have in the backfield with Deshaun Bishop and, Gordon from Tulane, who transferred in there, he's a guy who looks really good.
It sort of starts to crystallize, I think, what their identity should be, which may be a blessing in disguise.
It's not like Heupel's learning about his team, like he knows his team.
But sometimes in fall camp you can have false hope th- this'll happen or that'll happen.
This guy'll come along.
That guy'll come along.
And with Tennessee, there's no mystery how they're gonna have to win this year.
It's gonna have to be O-line.
It's gonna have to be Bishop, who was a 1,000-yard rusher last year, at least be that again this year.
