You've almost got to be joking at this point. Injuries have been brutal for Tennessee football this season, with the secondary facing some major hits. Not having All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy was one thing, but Rickey Gibson going down was rough too.
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Now everyone has to worry about standout transfer cornerback Colton Hood? Unfortunately, that's exactly the case. In the dominant win over the Kentucky Wildcats this past Saturday, Hood went down with an injury. When asked about his status vs. Oklahoma, Josh Heupel said everyone would have to wait for the injury report to come out for an update. Could he be at risk of missing Week 10?
Tennessee star CB Colton Hood is rumored to be questionable for Saturday’s matchup vs. Oklahoma.
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) October 28, 2025
Hood exited early in the win over Kentucky with an apparent injury.
When asked about his status today, Josh Heupel responded: “Stay tuned for the injury update.” pic.twitter.com/KLaQxn7Cts
Colton Hood's status for Tennessee vs. Oklahoma is very much up in the air
Heupel doesn't really give much info when it comes to injuries, so no one was surprised at all with his response to Hood's status. Still, this truly is the last thing defensive coordinator Tim Banks wants to be dealing with right now, as the Vols are already thin at the position.
Not only that, but John Mateer and Oklahoma are headed to Neyland Stadium this weekend for one of the best matchups of the day on Saturday. If the Tennessee defense lets Oklahoma get hot and into a groove throwing the ball, it could prove to be a disastrous night for UT. Tennessee's defense has looked pretty sluggish as is, so not having Hood would make things even worse.
That's what a lot of people are fearing, as this is no question a must-win game for the Vols in order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. With a victory, No. 14 Tennessee would move to 7-2 on the year, with a bye and then New Mexico State after that.
The season will then end with a road matchup at Florida and a home dance with Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt. Again, Tennessee can't afford another loss, which is why the Vols must be at their absolute best on both sides of the ball against the No. 18 Sooners.
Mateer struggled a bit last week in the Oklahoma loss to Ole Miss, but he's still a gamer and he can hurt you if you're not careful. Hood missing this game would be a nightmare for so many reasons - soon enough we'll find out if he can put the pads on or not.