Saturday’s game against Texas A&M will serve as the first for Tennessee without starting wide receiver Bru McCoy, who was lost for the year against South Carolina after suffering a brutal ankle injury. The Volunteers were also without Dont’e Thornton on that night, which forced young receivers Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod into action.
Thornton is expected back this weekend, likely set to see time both on the outside and in the slot. However, there’s no way around it at this point — Tennessee is going to be forced to rely heavily on a couple of redshirt freshmen going forward.