Tennessee defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs will miss the remainder of the Vols’ spring practice with a foot injury, Volquest’s Brent Hubbs first reported earlier this week. Hobbs is dealing with the same foot injury that plagued him for much of his junior season.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle suffered the foot injury during fall camp last season and missed the first four games of Tennessee’s season before returning to the field against Arkansas following the Vols’ first open date of the 2025 season.
Hobbs played a major role for Tennessee after returning from injury, totaling 30 tackles, three sacks, two pass deflections and one forced fumble. The Charlotte native earned a 59.0 PFF grade in 250 total snaps played during his junior season.
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Tennessee is very dependent on Hobbs entering the 2026 season. The Vols were thin at defensive tackle a season ago before losing Bryson Eason and Jaxson Moi to graduation. Tennessee added Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam out of the transfer portal and he will likely start besides Hobbs next season.
Behind Hobbs and Gilliam, redshirt junior Nathan Robinson as well as sophomores Ethan Utley and Isaiah Campbell will step into bigger roles. Due to the lack of experience and depth, defensive tackle is one of the biggest questions on Tennessee’s roster entering next season.
Hobbs was a four-star and top 60 recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle when he committed to Tennessee over Alabama and Georgia. The blue-chip recruit has steadily played a bigger role during his time in college, totaling 64 tackles and four sacks to this point.
The good news is that Hobbs should be back from the injury by the time Tennessee begins summer workouts according to Hubbs’ report. It’s a big senior season for Hobbs as he looks to build off the success of his junior season on a defense that badly needs him to produce.
