Tennessee availability report: Vols provide initial injury update for Georgia Game

Tennessee plays its first SEC game of the 2025 college football season on Saturday when it hosts Georgia, and the Vols released their first injury update of the week with Wednesday night’s conference-mandated availability report. Offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., defensive linemen Tyree Weathersby and Jaxson Moi and walk-on running back Hunter Barnes were listed as questionable three days before the game.. Cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III and defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs also were listed as out for the game on Wednesday night’s report.

Two more availability reports will be released prior to game day on Thursday and Friday nights before the final pregame report 90 minutes before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff between the sixth-ranked Bulldogs and 15th-ranked Vols at Neyland Stadium.

ESPN’s College GameDay will air live from Tennessee’s campus on Saturday morning and the top ABC broadcast team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will be on the call, highlighting the significance of this early-season clash between two SEC rivals.

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Here is Tennessee’s initial availability report for the Georgia game:

OL David Sanders Jr: Questionable

DL Tyree Weathersby: Questionable

DL Jaxson Moi: Questionable

RB Hunter Barnes: Questionable

DB Jermod McCoy: Out

DB Rickey Gibson III: Out

DL Daevin Hobbs: Out

Five-star freshman Sanders was set to be the starting right tackle for the Vols this season, but has been sidelined by a shoulder issue. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after his first absence that he got “nicked up” in Wednesday’s practice, but on Friday before the game was in line to play. Tennessee’s medical staff did not clear him, though, and also didn’t clear him to return against East Tennessee State last week, turning the prized freshman into a bystander and cheerleader to start his first college season.

“I think Dave’s doing a good job just trying to lead from afar, especially because he’s not in the action with us right now,” Tennessee center Sam Pendleton said after Tuesday’s practice. “But he’s still doing his best on the sideline, in the meeting room, especially with the guys like in his grade and even us, too. He came over to me today and he’s like, ‘Hey man, get diesel, it’s that time. We’ve got to put it on and put on some more steam.’ I was like, ‘I know, let’s go, man.’ He’s just the guy there that’s kind of just bringing everybody’s vibe up, for sure.”

Weathersby did not play against ETSU after making six tackles in the season opener against Syracuse.

Moi left the opener after just three plays favoring his left elbow. He went into the injury tent on the sideline, came out and tested his strength levels on the sideline, went back into the tent and did not return to the game. Heupel ruled him out against ETSU on Monday of last week.

McCoy is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered while training back home in January. The All-SEC cornerback has continued to make good progress and resumed going through position drills early in preseason camp. At one point a return by the Georgia game looked like a possibility, but his absence will continue at least a little longer.

Gibson was shaken up in the first half of the Syracuse game. After making a tackle, he grabbed at his left shoulder/upper chest, left the game and did not return. Head coach Josh Heupel said last week that Gibson will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

Colorado transfer Colton Hood started both games this season in McCoy’s place, and freshman Ty Redmond replaced Gibson against Syracuse and made his first career start last week against ETSU.

Hobbs is dealing with a foot injury that sidelined him midway through the preseason and has caused him to miss the first three games of the season, and the junior had a walking boot on his left foot and was using a crutch under his right arm to get around on the field in pregame before last week’s win against ETSU.

The absences of Moi and Hobbs prompted Tennessee last week against ETSU to start defensive end Dominic Bailey inside at defensive tackle alongside fellow sixth-year senior Bryson Eason with Tyre West starting, likely in Weathersby’s place, at defensive end. The Vols have relied on Nathan Robinson, Ethan Utley and Jamal Wallace to fill out the defensive tackle rotation. Freshman Isaiah Campbell also got early snaps in last week’s game as Tennessee relies on some unproven players on the interior of the defensive line.

“The standard really doesn’t change from the second guy to the first guy,” linebacker Arion Carter said this week. “We really don’t waver from the standard, so when those guys come in, they’re going to be held to the standard and hand to the fire, just like everybody else. It’s really not having to rise to the occasion. It’s, like I said earlier, you fall back on your level of training and you go out there and show what you can (do), prove what you can do and why we recruited you to come here.”

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