Tennessee football is set to get one of its highly-touted freshmen on the field for the first time this weekend. After dealing with an injury that held him out of a good bit of preseason preparation, Christian Gass is cleared to play in Saturday’s contest with UAB. Josh Heupel revealed this information during his appearance on ‘The Mike Keith Show‘.
“Smart, tough, physical football player,” Heupel said on Gass. “He came in for playoff prep last year. In our young guy practices, elite athletic traits. We were really excited with him. He had to deal with a little bit of a setback. Coming in, had sustained an injury and ultimately had to have surgery on it. He’s been going through a long process of getting physically ready to go play. Been able to progress in here over the last few weeks. He’ll get an opportunity to play in this one.
“We’re really excited about the player, but excited for him, too. When you go through that journey, and it happens to everybody in this game, but when it happens right away, it’s a tough, tough process. He’s handled it in a great way and been a great teammate and really excited to get him on the field.”
Gass projects to play the LEO position as an edge rusher. He’ll join a stacked room that features the likes of Joshua Josephs, Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross and has recently produced NFL talent such as Byron Young and James Pearce Jr. With UAB coming to town, it should give the Vols the chance to build a decent lead and unload the bench.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Preview: What To Look For As The Vols Host UAB on Saturday
When SEC play hits full steam the following weekend, snaps will be tough to earn at the spot. However, Heupel seems to really like what Gass brings to the table. Even if he can’t crack consistent play time on the defensive line as a true freshman, he could still have a really bright future and be a significant factor on special teams in year one.
“A guy that played in the second level in high school. Is a first level player for us,” Heupel said. “Has all the traits, is a smart guy that’s worked really hard at understanding it while he’s been limited. He’s got length, he’s got speed, he’s got short-area quickness, has the ability to help us on special teams. Really excited to get him going.”
Gass was a four-star recruit out of high school. According to 247, he was the No. 229 player in the country, No. 21 linebacker and No. 32 prospect out of Georgia. He attended Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia.
Along with UT, Gass officially visited Georgia, Florida, USC and Kentucky during the recruiting process.
