Based on what Jeremy Pruitt revealed on Tuesday, it sounds like there’s a good chance Baylen Buchanan doesn’t suit up for the Vols this season.

During his most recent media availability, Pruitt was asked to share why the senior defensive back was been missing for all of training camp. According to Tennessee’s coach, the defensive back is dealing with an issue with his spine and they will continue to hold Buchanan out until they have a better understanding of his medical condition.

“Baylen had a couple of issues during the offseason and basically we discovered he has a narrowing of his spine. So for his safety and precaution, we are holding him out,” Pruitt said on Tuesday following the latest Tennessee practice. “We’ve sent him to a lot of specialists across the country and just waiting to gather information. He has a redshirt and one thing you have to figure out is, is this something he’s had the whole time he’s played? Or is this something that has just happened right now? But precautionary, we’ve held him out and we are going to continue to do that because his safety is our first priority.”

Buchanan started all 12 games for Tennessee last season and registered 49 tackles and four pass breakups for the Vols. Based on the fact that Pruitt noted Buchanan has a redshirt season still availability, it’s safe to assume the team has at least considered that option for the rising senior defensive back.

If you didn’t know, Buchanan is the son of former NFL defensive back Ray Buchanan.