Tennessee to be without 2 starters against Alabama, per reports

No. 6 Tennessee will reportedly be without 2 key starters on Saturday against No. 6 Alabama. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Chris Low are each reporting that the Vols will be without Cedric Tillman and Jaylen McCollough.

Tillman, a senior wide receiver, has been sidelined since injuring his ankle on Sept. 17 in UT’s win over Akron. It was revealed that Tillman had tightrope surgery on Sept. 20 in hopes of speeding up his recovery.

On Wednesday, Josh Heupel said that Tillman would only play if he was 100% ready to go. Thamel notes that Tennessee has FCS program UT Martin in Week 8, meaning Tillman may not return until the Kentucky game on Oct. 29.

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McCollough, a senior safety, is unavailable after a recent arrest for felony aggravated assault. Thamel notes that McCollough’s status for upcoming games remains unclear.

Low adds that offensive tackle Gerald Mincey is expected to play after dealing with a head injury.

WR Cedric Tillman (ankle) and safety Jaylen McCollough (felony aggravated assault charge) are out today for @Vol_Football. OT Gerald Mincey (head injury) is expected to play. Vols also keeping an eye on Kamal Hadden (hamstring).

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) October 15, 2022