Tennessee junior defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs returned from injury this past weekend against Arkansas, quickly making an impact for the Volunteers’ defense. The 6-foot-4 lineman racked up five total tackles, one sack, and forced a fumble on Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green that set the Razorbacks way behind the chains.
“It felt real good to be back out there, playing with all my guys, in front of all the fans,” Hobbs said while speaking to the media on Tuesday. “All my friends back home always been asking me, so finally getting out there and playing again, it felt good. Sitting on the sideline, it kills, man. It kills.”
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was also pleased with Hobbs’ performance in his first game of the season against the Razorbacks.
“Daevin, I just felt like he was going to play really well for us,” Heupel said. “His comeback, our medical team, strength team and him did a great job getting prepared for when he was gonna be cleared. Played well tonight.”
The timetable of Hobbs’ return didn’t leave him much time to sit back and get his feet wet, though. After returning for the Arkansas game last weekend, Hobbs and the Volunteers now face a stretch of three straight SEC games, including at Alabama, at Kentucky, and against Oklahoma. Considering the talent that Hobbs brings to the table, Tennessee will need him to continue making an impact on the defensive line to sure up the run game moving forward in October.
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With the missed time that Hobbs has already had this season, he’s eager to continue getting back on the field and making plays for the Vols. That missed time already gives him a chip on his shoulder. But with Alabama coming up this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, the North Carolina native feels some extra motivation on a personal level. Hobbs committed to Tennessee in November 2022 over Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio State. The Crimson Tide was one of his top finalists, so he’s looking forward to the opportunity to make an impact in the high-stakes game this weekend.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Hobbs was asked if he knew many of the guys down in Tuscaloosa and if his recruitment makes this a fun game to play in.
“I mean, I know a couple down there,” Hobbs said. “But, like, just being the fact that that was one of my top schools, really, like, juices things up for me mentally. Just for me, really. I have different type of motivation this week, you know? But, you know, just same thing all the time. Stay locked in, stay focused.”
Hobbs sees a good challenge in the trenches with the Alabama offensive line on the opposite side of things.
“They’ve got a solid O-Line all around,” Hobbs said. “Really good team. Solid quarterback, too. He’s been playing real well. He’s got weapons. So, we’ve got to be on our keys. Got to be on go all week.”
No. 6 Alabama will host No. 11 Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for continued coverage leading into the game this weekend.
