If there was ever a time for Tim Banks' Tennessee Volunteers defense to step up, this would be it. On3's Chris Low and Brett McMurphy reported on Friday that "Tennessee All-America(n) cornerback Jermod McCoy will miss Saturday’s opener against Syracuse and is expected to miss multiple games, but is diligently working to return at some point this season." He tore his ACL back in January.
McCoy is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he has not been cleared to fully practice yet with the Vols. This is why Banks seems to have put an even greater emphasis on fellow defensive back Jalen McMurray having a breakout campaign. With Tennessee ushering in a new quarterback in Joey Aguilar this season, being sound defensively has never been more important.
In time, Josh Heupel will have his team's offense humming once again. Aguilar may have had a ton of starts previously, but they were in the Group of Five level on a middle-of-the-pack Appalachian State Mountaineers team. Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre are backing him up, but Tennessee will have to find a way to hold steady on defense, even if McCoy is going to be out for a little while longer.
Tennessee will now be tasked to hold Steve Angeli and the Syracuse offense in check without McCoy.
Vols will be without star CB Jermod McCoy for multiple games, but he's working to get back, sources tell me and @Brett_McMurphy https://t.co/oOGSA8FNka
— Chris Low (@clowfb) August 29, 2025
This may have been expected heading into the Syracuse game, but McCoy is officially listed as out.
A victory vs. Syracuse is even more important now for Tennessee
While Tennessee has been the sizable favorite to get past Syracuse in Atlanta on Saturday, anything short of a clear and decisive victory could prove problematic for the Volunteers down the line this fall. Although Syracuse did not make the College Football Playoff like Tennessee did only a year ago, the Orange massively overachieved for first-time head coach Fran Brown. Was it all Kyle McCord's doing?
Regardless, Tennessee has to take advantage of its relatively soft schedule while it can. Conversely, Syracuse has the hardest schedule in the ACC entering the season. Should the Orange somehow prove victorious, that may expose a few more things than expected when it comes to the Volunteers defense. The smart money should be on the Vols, but this game could serve as a litmus test for them.
Overall, Tennessee seems okay with getting McCoy back whenever the Volunteers can. It remains to be seen if that will be in time for the Sept. 13 home date vs. rival Georgia. Assuming a neutral-site victory over Syracuse, Tennessee should be able to navigate the rest of its early-season games, outside of the Georgia date. Getting McCoy back in time for the third Saturday in October would be ideal.