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Tennessee is at Hard Rock Stadium preparing to face Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
While several players have opted out for the Volunteers, namely wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman and linebacker Jeremy Banks, a trio of players that were originally scheduled to play in the game will be inactive.
According to WNML’s Jimmy Hyams, quarterback Tayven Jackson is out, as are defensive backs Trevon Flowers and Brandon Turnage. Flowers made 57 tackles and 2 interceptions for the Vols in 2022 while forcing 2 fumbles, while Turnage made 17 stops — including 1.0 for a loss — and 5 pass deflections while picking 1 off.
Jackson played in just 3 games and totaled 4 passes in the regular season. However, he was set to be the backup quarterback behind Joe Milton, and with his absence (as Hyams notes), Gaston Moore is 2nd on the depth chart behind center. The redshirt freshman began his college career at UCF under Josh Heupel before entering the transfer portal and following his head coach to Knoxville prior to the 2021 season.
In 2022, he has completed 4 of his 5 passes for 30 yards. He has also thrown an interception.
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.
