The Wednesday night SEC Availability report is officially out and Tennessee football is down its top two cornerbacks for Saturday afternoon’s rivalry against Georgia at Neyland Stadium. As expected, neither Jermod McCoy nor Rickey Gibson will be able to give it ago against the reigning SEC Champions.
The news does not come as a surprise with both battling injuries. McCoy is continuing to work back into form after tearing his ACL in January. An All-SEC cornerback a season ago and a preseason All-American according to multiple media outlets.
Gibson started opposite of McCoy last season and performed well as a sophomore. But Gibson suffered an injury in the first half of the Vols’ season-opener against Syracuse and will not return to the field anytime soon. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said that Gibson will miss “an extended amount of time” after suffering the injury.
With McCoy and Gibson sidelined, Tennessee will lean heavily on newcomer cornerbacks Colton Hood and Ty Redmond.
The Vols landed Hood out of the transfer portal after McCoy suffered his early offseason injury. A starter a season ago at Colorado, Hood has been stellar early in his redshirt sophomore season. Hood was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after scoring on a scoop-and-score in the win over Syracuse.
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Through two games, Hood has allowed just one catch for five yards on seven targets. He’s also recorded six tackles and the scoop-and-score.
Redmond is a true freshman from the Atlanta suburbs and was the second lowest rated signee in Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class according to 247sports composite rankings. But Redmond has stepped up since Gibson suffered his injury against Syracuse.
In 95 total snaps, Redmond has allowed four catches for 48 yards on 11 targets. He’s also totaled five tackles and is the highest graded Tennessee defender through two weeks according to PFF.
“I think those guys have done a really good job,” Heupel said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday. “Ty since January, and Colton in May when he got here. They’re smart, tough, competitive, and continue to get better every day and every week that they’ve been here. And certainly this will be the biggest test for us in this season, but I love the growth that we’ve seen from those guys.”
Tennessee can also slide STAR Jalen McMurray out to corner, where he mostly played last season, as sophomore Boo Carter continues to get more reps.
Kickoff between Tennessee and Georgia is at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe are on the call for ABC.
