Alabama heads to Knoxville on Saturday to face Tennessee in a game that has both SEC Championship and College Football Playoff implications.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban wouldn’t say Wednesday whether or not quarterback Bryce Young would return Saturday from his shoulder injury to play against the No. 6 Volunteers.

Saban, made it clear, however, that Young wants to play. In fact, he wanted to play last Saturday against Texas A&M.

But it wasn’t going to happen.

“I didn’t think he was in a position that he could go and effectively do his job the way he’s capable of doing it,” Saban said during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference. “He’s made a lot of progress (since) that point and hopefully he’s able to do that in the near future.”

Saban was also asked Wednesday about one of his linebackers. And it wasn’t Will Anderson.

Instead it was Henry To’o To’o.

“He’s very instinctively, playmaker type of guy,” Saban said. “He’s gotten better and better since he’s been here. … He was a really good player last year and a really good player this year.”

No. 3 Alabama’s road game at Tennessee is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday and will be televised by CBS.