Ugh, this one hurts. It's inevitable that someone will get hurt in football, but this happening so soon is a gut punch for the Vols. Tennessee's defensive tackle Daevin Hobbs is done for the spring with a foot injury, according to Volquest. The good news? Hobbs is expected to be available for summer camp.
Tennessee DT Daevin Hobbs will miss the remainder of spring practice, @Volquest_On3 reports 🍊
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) March 24, 2026
Tennessee defensive tackle Daevin Hobbs will miss the remainder of spring camp due to a foot injury.
The six-foot-four, 290 pound interior lineman totaled 30 tackles and three sacks… pic.twitter.com/uZDHmdyXf6
Tennessee has been fortunate this spring, as Josh Heupel has avoided any major injuries so far. Last year, the Vols couldn’t seem to escape the injury bug. JerMod McCoy and Rickety Gibson went down immediately, and Joey Aguilar battled some injuries all season. If 2026 ends up anything like last year, it could be a rough ride.
Tennessee needs Daevin Hobbs healthy for week one
Looking at the bigger picture, Hobbs is expected to be a major factor in the middle of Tennessee's defensive line next fall, so making sure he's 100% healthy before he plays needs to happen. Given that he should be ready by fall camp, I don't have many concerns, but you never know. Seeing him get hit by this foot injury is unsettling, and hopefully it's not a foreshadowing for things to come.
You can’t overlook the fact that Hobbs has battled some injuries during his time in Knoxville. Last fall, he played in the final eight games of the season after missing the first four games with a foot injury as well. When Hobbs came back, he had a nice year with 30 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, and a forced fumble. PFF had him graded as a 76.6 tackling grade with only one missed tackle in 250 snaps last year. Jim Knowles will need Hobbs to go along with Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam to hold things down up front. Hobbs' three years of experience and ability to clog up lanes should be a big boost for the new coordinator.
No matter how you look at it, this stinks for Hobbs and for Tennessee, but he should be okay come week one against Furman, so that's a plus. In the meantime, Tennesse will have an opportunity to get other lineman reps.