Who's In, Who's Out: No.23 Tennessee-UTSA
No.23 Tennessee (2-1,0-1) will host the UTSA Roadrunners (1-2) on Saturday afternoon at 4 pm ET on the SEC Network. The Vols are coming off an ugly 29-16 loss to Florida to start conference play Saturday while the Roadrunners lost 37-29 to Army last Friday. Ahead of today’s matchup, Volquest takes a look at Tennessee’s final injury report ahead of the game.
LB Keenan Pili (Out)
Keenan Pili remains out with an injury, and a timetable for his return is unclear at this time. He continues to be active around the team and traveled to Florida this past week. The Vols hope to get him back as soon as possible. In the meantime, they continue to get plenty of work for Arion Carter and Elijah Herring.
DL Elijah Simmons (OUT)
Simmons has missed the first three games of the season and a timetable for his return remains uncertain. He is dealing with a lower body injury sustained in fall camp.
“A guy that has been great all training camp and really all offseason. He’ll be out for this one,” Vols Head Coach Josh Heupel said ahead of the Virginia contest. “But we’ll see where that goes moving forward.”
Center Cooper Mays (Available, Game Time Decision)
Veteran offensive lineman Cooper Mays has not been able to suit up and compete for Tennessee since undergoing a “minor procedure” during fall camp. Mays has continued to progress week after week. He suited up last week but did not appear comfortable during warmups, as he never worked through any contact drills. Josh Heupel remained hopeful ahead of the contest against the Gators.
“Yeah, he will be going with us. He’s done really good all week long,” Heupel said on the Thursday before. “I anticipate him being ready to play. He’s smart, competitive and communicates at a really high level. His experience is beneficial for us.”
Mays’ status has remained in question throughout the week, with Heupel saying earlier in the week, a call on the veteran would not be made until closer to game time.
“Coop has been with us all week long, too. He was last week,” Heupel noted on Thursday. “At the end of the day, he’s a little bit of a game-time decision kind of based off how he is feeling at that point.”
Mays has participated in warmups here today, but how much he will participate will be something we continue to keep a close eye on during the course of the game.
DB Doneiko Slaughter (Available, Game Time Decision)
Slaughter was a late scratch for Saturday’s game against Florida and Josh Heupel did not add much insight at the time, simply stating, “wasn’t available” during the post-game press conference. Slaughter was a full participant in warmups, but sources have indicated he was dealing with a nagging injury that caused him to be a game-time decision.
Slaughter participated in warmups and, he is expected to be available later today but how much he plays remains in question.
“Yeah, he should be available for this football game,” Heupel said during the Thursday press conference, his final media availability of the week.
Freshman DL Tyree Weathersby, RB Desean Bishop, DL Nathan Robinson (OUT)
Tennessee freshmen Tyree Weathersby and Desean Bishop both suffered long-term injuries around the same time in fall camp. Weathersby will be out for the season with a lower extremity injury, while Bishop’s injury could allow him to return at some point, but he could miss an extended period of time.
“Weathersby will be out for the year. Deshaun is not out for the year but will be out for an extended period of time. Probably a couple of months,” Josh Heupel said on August 16th.
New to the injury report is freshman defensive lineman Nathan Robinson. The newcomer is expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time with an upper body injury.
DB Christian Charles (OUT)
Charles left last week’s contest against Austin Peay with an ankle injury. He is expected to miss an extended period of time for the Vols following the injury. He has continued to battle injuries throughout his career.
