Josh Heupel provides injury update on Tennessee OL Sam Pendleton
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Josh Heupel and Tennessee were without offensive lineman Sam Pendleton during a 56-9 win over Furman on Saturday. The Volunteers’ starting center was unavailable due to an injury that was undisclosed.
That injury shouldn’t sideline him for long, though. In fact, per Heupel, Pendleton will be ready for the Vols’ Week 2 game at Georgia Tech.
“Just went through warm-ups and ultimately made a decision. Expect him to be ready to go next week,” Josh Heupel said, according to 247Sports’ Patrick Brown.
Pendleton spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Notre Dame. He then entered the transfer portal and landed at Tennessee, where he immediately won the starting center job. Pendleton ultimately ended up starting every game for the Vols in 2025. He was set to return to the middle of the o-line in 2026, but his season debut will instead be in Week 2.
Without one of its veterans in the mix, Tennessee had a little bit of a rough start up front, but eventually rallied as the game went on. The Volunteers finished with 329 yards rushing on 47 attempts. True freshman Faizon Brandon, a Top 5 recruit out of the class of 2026, threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and was sacked once. He also ran for 76 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
