The Tennessee football team is still riding high from the Week 1 win over Syracuse, but that doesn't mean that everything is perfect for head man Josh Heupel. That's because the Vols defense is going to be without one of its top defensive backs for a little while.
While speaking to the media on Monday, Heupel revealed that standout cornerback Rickey Gibson III is going to be out for 'an extended period of time' moving forward. Gibson got hurt during the action against the Orange. At the time, the hope was that his injury wouldn't be a serious one, but that's exactly what it turned out to be:
BREAKING: Rickey Gibson III will be out for an extended period, according to HC Josh Heupel. pic.twitter.com/Biekbtk4cQ
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) September 1, 2025
Tennessee CB Rickey Gibson will be out for a while according to Josh Heupel
Tim Banks' defense looked a little shaky at times in the season-opener and losing a player of Gibson's caliber is not ideal. Keep in mind too that All-American CB Jermod McCoy is still working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered during the winter while back home in Texas.
If there's a saving grace here, it's that Colton Hood was fantastic in his Tennessee debut over the weekend. He was all over the field, with his performance being highlighted by his first-half scoop and score touchdown that got everyone off their feet in Atlanta.
Hood was so strong, he took home SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Freshman Ty Redmond was also fantastic against Syracuse and he'll look to have an even bigger impact on this team now that Gibson is hurt and out of action for an undetermined amount of time.
The Vols always have the 'next man up' mentality and that's going to be the case starting on Saturday against East Tennessee State. The good news is that UT is going to be a giant favorite in Week 2, but Georgia will be next on the schedule in Week 3. Having multiple key CBs hurt is a bit troubling with the Dawgs making their way to Knoxville on Sept. 13.