Tennessee Football announces Bru McCoy underwent 'successful' ankle surgery

Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy was carted off the field after suffering an ankle injury in Tennessee’s 41-20 win over South Carolina this weekend. On Sunday, the program updated fans on McCoy’s condition.

“Bru McCoy underwent successful surgery this morning after suffering a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle on Saturday night,” Tennessee wrote on Twitter. “Bru and his family appreciate all of your prayers and support since last night and in the days ahead.

“Bru has displayed unwavering toughness, character and leadership as a Vol on and off the field, and he now begins the road to recovery determined to make this just a minor setback on his football journey.”

Before leaving the field, McCoy had caught two passes for a total of 21 yards. McCoy was a key part of the Tennessee offense since arriving on campus via the NCAA transfer portal. In less than five full games, McCoy tallied 17 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown.

Following Tennessee’s win, head coach Josh Heupel discussed his standout WR.

“That’s a tough moment when you know that one of your brothers has had a tough injury, and getting carted off like that,” Heupel said. “Emotionally, for those guys, being able to get in control of your emotions on the back end of it, to be able to reset. Bru said he wanted those guys to be able to go play their you-know-what off and win the freaking ball game too. So, I relayed that message.”

“It shows maturity from those guys that no matter what’s going on, being able to reset and refocus and go compete hard.”

Bru McCoy shows heart

McCoy shows maturity both on and off the field. Every time he scored a touchdown this season, McCoy’s ‘Huddle for Hearts’ NIL initiative saw an automatic external defibrillator (AED) donated to an underserved community. It’s a cause that hits home for McCoy in a number of ways.

McCoy explained the origins of the NIL give-back scheme with On3’s Andy Staples. A number of factors influenced McCoy to give back in this way, including the high-profile injury suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in early 2023.

“It had a big effect on me. It was the first occurence where you see somebody potentially lose their life on the field. Or the first time I had seen it. I think the only other time I could think of off the top of my head of hearing something like that was like Hank Gathers, and that was a story I was told and saw a YouTube video on,” McCoy said.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.