Tennessee tight end Ethan Wolf is ready for Saturday’s game against No. 12 Georgia. The true freshman missed the Vols’ Week 3 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma 11 days ago and will return to the field after three weeks of rehabilitation following an injury to his right knee.

Wolf claims he was ready to make an early return against the Sooners, however, was deemed unable to play by the Tennessee coaching staff.

“That’s kind of a biased opinion,” Wolf told the Chattanooga Times Free Press with a chuckle. “I think I could have [played], but the training staff kind of had a little hesitation, I guess, and ultimately it was the coaches’ decision. They decided to hold me out and put my career in the hands of them.

“I greatly appreciate the decision that they made, so it’s again a biased opinion.”

In Week 1, Wolf became the first true freshman tight end in school history to start a season opener. In his first two games, Wolf has eight receptions and has proved why he’s considered the best blocker among the Tennessee tight ends.

“It’s huge,” quarterback Justin Worley said. “He does a great job out wide for us catching the ball and inside blocking. Having him and his skill set back in our offense is huge for us.”

A former three-star recruit, the Ohio native was able to view the college game from a different vantage point with fellow freshman Daniel Helm in as his replacement. But that didn’t make watching his team’s 34-10 loss any easier.

“Very tough, but Daniel did a good job in the game,” he said. “We’ve got some other guys that played very well as well. Obviously it was tough being on the sidelines, but they did a great job.”

Tennessee and Georgia will kickoff from Sanford Stadium at noon on ESPN.