Tennessee is still waiting to get one of its most important defensive backs back on the field as fall camp rolls on.
Cornerback Ty Redmond missed the opening two practices because of illness, and he was not spotted during the open portion of Saturday’s third practice either. Only one period of the workout was available to the media.
For now, Tennessee is leaning on other pieces in the secondary. That group includes Auburn transfer Kayin Lee, Tim Merritt, Colorado transfer Isaiah Hardge, Tre Poteat, Zay Anderson and others while Redmond remains out.
The absence stands out because of how strong Redmond’s finish was last season. Injuries to Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III pushed the true freshman into a starting role, and after teams had early success attacking him, he settled in and developed into one of Tennessee’s better defenders down the stretch.
In 13 appearances and 12 starts, Redmond finished with 43 tackles, one tackle for loss, three interceptions and 15 passes defended. That production earned him SEC All-Freshman Team honors from coaches, All-SEC Third-Team recognition from coaches and spots on multiple freshman All-American teams.
That momentum has carried into the preseason, where Redmond is drawing plenty of attention entering his sophomore year. Multiple outlets have tabbed him as a preseason All-SEC Second-Team selection, Athlon placed him on its Preseason All-SEC Fourth-Team, and he also landed on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
Redmond is listed at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. He is from Duluth, Georgia, where he starred at Milton High School, and he was rated a three-star prospect by all major recruiting services.
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Harmon had been one of the more encouraging young pieces in the room, a second-year player whose early contributions last season gave Tennessee reason to believe he could keep climbing. Instead, the Volunteers now have to regroup without him, and the timing only adds to the uncertainty around a defense that has already had more moving parts than it wanted before the season even settles in. [Read more 🡒]