Tennessee’s first SEC availability report of the season arrived Wednesday night, and it brought a mixed bag ahead of Saturday’s matchup with No. 1 Texas at Neyland Stadium.
The biggest name to watch is DeSean Bishop, who is not on the report after getting shaken up against Kennesaw State last week. The senior running back, Tennessee’s leading rusher and a 2025 All-SEC performer, briefly left the game after a second-quarter run when he was grabbing at his left side just above the hip. He came back in the third quarter, but did not finish after it became clear he wasn’t 100%.
“DeSean ran really well,” head coach Josh Heupel said after the game, “just didn’t think it was smart to put him back in at that point in the game as we get (into) a conference stretch here.”
Bishop has 43 carries for 286 yards and four touchdowns in three games. Heupel said Monday that his top back was “feeling pretty good,” and added: “We’ll make sure he’s fully ready to go on Saturday.”
Tennessee listed running back Javin Gordon and defensive lineman Nathan Robinson as questionable. Gordon was dressed and went through warmups last week but did not play after hurting his knee in the win at Georgia Tech. Robinson, who started the first two games, also sat out against Kennesaw State after getting shaken up against Georgia Tech.
Safety Dylan Lewis was ruled out after leaving the Kennesaw State game in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury. He went to the ground while chasing the ballcarrier, initially got up, then had to go back down before being helped off by two members of the training staff without putting weight on his left leg. Lewis has six tackles this season and had been Tennessee’s third safety.
The Vols also listed tight end Ethan Davis, linebacker Jaedon Harmon, wide receiver Joakim Dodson and defensive back Edrees Farooq as out. Daevin Hobbs and Justin Baker were not listed after sitting out the 42-9 win.
Tennessee had already been dealing with a short-handed backfield before Bishop’s scare. Baker hurt his hand/wrist against Georgia Tech and wore a cast on his right wrist on the sideline last week. Hobbs, who had been managing a lower-body injury since the preseason, and Robinson were held out against Kennesaw State after being shaken up the week before.
On the defensive side, Tennessee is still sorting through the loss of Lewis, and co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter said Tuesday the staff is adjusting on the fly.
“We’re doing things to try to build depth, moving some pieces around a little bit,” Poindexter said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve just got to keep bringing the young players along. Guys that’s been in the room, they’ve just got to keep coming along so we can have that depth.
“It’s a long season, so we know injuries are going to happen and just got to keep building it through practice.”
Tennessee has already lost five players for the season. Miami transfer cornerback Jadais Richard was hurt during the offseason, and Farooq, Harmon, Dodson and Davis all suffered season-ending injuries in earlier games.
Two more availability reports will come Thursday and Friday night before the final pregame update 90 minutes before the noon kickoff on ABC. Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Tennessee and Texas on campus and the first time the teams have played anywhere since the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1969.
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