After returning to the practice field for the first time this past Friday, Jermod McCoy was once again a participant for Tennessee football on Monday as he works his way back from injury.
McCoy, coming off an ACL injury, was with the other cornerbacks during the short portion of practice open to the media. He continued to be limited in terms of the contact he received, although he remains in a normal orange jersey and not a red non-contact jersey.
McCoy did not have any significant brace on his injured knee, but did sport a small band just below his kneecap. There was no visible impediment in his movement while the media was able to watch.
After the Vols held their first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, which McCoy did not participate in, head coach Josh Heupel met with the media to give his thoughts on McCoy’s limited return to practices.
“Yeah, cool moment for Jermod. Big moment getting back on the field, doing some of the individual work,” Heupel said. “It was cool to see the way his brothers were excited for him in that moment and how big that was, too. He broke us down before practice. And he’s done an elite job throughout his rehab, and there’s still more that he’s got to continue to do, but excited to get him back out with us.”
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell Back to Practice With Some Limitations
Tennessee will open the season against Syracuse on August 30 in Atlanta. This gives McCoy less than a month of time to gear up if he intends to be ready for the opener.
Whether McCoy is or isn’t available to start the season, Rickey Gibson III will man one of the corner positions. On the other side, it’ll likely be Colton Hood, a Colorado transfer from this spring.
When healthy, McCoy is projected to start at cornerback opposite of Gibson. In his first year with UT, McCoy managed 44 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. He came up with four interceptions, as well, including a one-handed snag against Ryan Williams of Alabama and a circus catch in the end zone at Vanderbilt.
McCoy started his career at Oregon State after being ranked as a three-star recruit out of high school. He played his prep ball in Whitehouse, Texas, before making the move to play for the Beavers.
With Oregon State, he played in 12 games and started in five as a true freshman. He led the team with nine passes defended and came down with a pair of interceptions.
