Josh Heupel addresses Gerald Mincey, Doneiko Slaughter absences for Tennessee at Florida
GAINESVILLE — Cooper Mays wasn’t the only notable absence for No. 11 Tennessee in Saturday night’s game against Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Gerald Mincey senior defensive back Doneiko Slaughter and didn’t play for the Vols.
“Doneiko wasn’t available,” Heupel said, “and Mincy, we just made a decision to go with JJ (Crawford).”
Mincey, while rotating at right tackle with Jeremiah Crawford over the first two games of the season, played 39 snaps against Virginia in Week 1 and 36 last week against Austin Peay.
Slaughter had two tackles through the first two games of the season, with both coming against Austin Peay last week in Tennessee’s 30-13 win at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee’s defense couldn’t get a stop in the first half, giving up 281 total yards while allowing four Florida touchdown drives. The Gators went 7-for-8 on third downs while quarterback Graham Mertz completed 17 of 20 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown while leading his team to a 26-7 lead at halftime.
Slaughter played 41 snaps in the win over Austin Peay and played 29 snaps in the 49-13 win over Virginia on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. PFF gave Slaughter a 52.9 grade against Austin Peay, third worst on Tennessee’s defense. He had a grade of 66.3 against Virginia, ranking him 14th on Tennessee’s defense.
He moved to cornerback over the offseason, after playing the position out of need late last season.
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“Lots of confidence,” Slaughter said during fall camp last month, while looking forward to his senior season. “It’s the most confidence I’ve had since I have been here.
“It’s my knowledge of the game, reflecting on the past plays I have made and my ability to make a difference on the field.”
Slaughter has played in 35 games over the three-plus seasons with the Vols, including 12 of 13 games last season. He had a career-high 31 tackles last season, including 0.5 tackles for loss, to go with an interception and seven passes defended.
He had 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack in 11 games as a sophomore in 2021. He had eight tackles, including a sack, in 10 games as a freshman in the 10-game, COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Slaughter was a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle, out of Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga. He was ranked No. 511 nationally, No. 38 among safety prospect and No. 56 overall in the state of Georgia.
Mincey was a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He started his college career at Florida before transferring to Tennessee after his redshirt freshman season with the Gators in 2021.
