Rashaan Gaulden went from sterling special teams star as a freshman to winning the Most Improved Defensive Player award this spring to a surefire starter at nickelback for Tennessee as a sophomore.
Now, the No. 25-ranked Volunteers are going to have to endure 2015 without him.
The 6'1", 178-pound defensive back fractured his foot during a punt return drill Thursday, and though he was initially expected to miss about a month, UT head coach Butch Jones informed the media this weekend that Gaulden would miss the entire season.
"Rashaan meant so much to us, not only from a defensive standpoint, but on special teams as well," Jones said after Saturday's practice, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Patrick Brown:
#Vols’ Cam Sutton is switching from No.