It's already been a week of good news for Jermod McCoy. He has returned to practice just seven months after tearing his ACL and the likelihood of the cornerback returning in the first month of the season has increased.
Now ESPN and CBS Sports have named the rising junior a preseason All-American.
Jermod is recognized on the @espn preseason All-America team 🇺🇸#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/8VIU0vVrJD
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 12, 2025
Recovering from injury, McCoy could be best in the nation
McCoy is widely considered the top cornerback in the country and, if healthy, he has a great chance of becoming the first cornerback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He led the Volunteers with four interceptions last season and was a major reason why Tennessee had one of the best secondary units in the country.
There is no indication of when McCoy will be in the lineup. Could he be back in time for the opener against Syracuse under some sort of snap count? Would it be a better strategy for McCoy to go through the game-day preparation week but keep him on the sidelines until the conference opener against Georgia on September 13?
It's clear that McCoy is putting in the work to play as soon as possible, and his progression in practice from individual work to competing in position drills is ver promising. It might be on the coaching staff to decide if they have to be conservative with him until things really pick up in the final eight or nine weeks of the season. Because if it's up to McCoy, he's going to play.
Jermod McCoy is continuing to make good progress.
— Sam Rothman (@samrothman_) August 11, 2025
The CB participated in position drills on the practice field today. #Vols pic.twitter.com/4iSxEqALI6
Team health remains a concern as opening week looms
The Vols need to get healthy at a number of positions. There's no secret there. It's been a tale of the walking wounded during camp. The wide receivers group has been fighting injuries among their projected starters all month. In the secondary, McCoy is recovering and trending upward, but Jourdain Thomas might be in line to take a medical redshirt and miss in second consecutive season.
That's going to put a lot of pressure on other experienced players, like safety Andre Turrentine and cornerback Ricky Gibson III, both of whom have a full season as starters under their belt.