Josh Heupel explains why Wesley Walker, Tamarion McDonald did not practice

Tennessee was down a couple of its players in the secondary at their practice on Thursday. The practice featured the first scrimmage of the fall camp for the Volunteers and veteran defensive backs Tamarion McDonald and Wesley Walker were both absent.

The two are likely starters for the Vols — McDonald at nickel-back and Walker at safety — so their presence was definitely felt by the defense. Afterward, reporters were curious why the DB duo had to miss the scrimmage and asked head coach Josh Heupel if he had any update on their status.

Heupel responded and put to bed any worries the two would be out for a significant period of time. You can watch that answer right here or read Coach Heupel’s comment on the situation just below:

Heupel responds to absence of top DBs at practice

“Yeah, those guys are in a good spot,” Heupel said of McDonald and Walker, noting they won’t be gone long. “We’ve held them here the last couple days, nothing long term, just based on loads and what they’ve been doing.”

Holding them out Thursday was precautionary and he expects good fall camp performances from both to continue soon.

“Wanted to protect them today. Those guys will be with us here as we move forward,” Heupel added. “Those guys have played really well in the secondary and, you know, we anticipate them playing at a really high level as we keep pushing forward.”

Good news for the Volunteers, after all. News of players missing practice is never ideal, but fans can be assured the two upperclassman defensive backs aren’t expected to be out long and are likely to be right back.

That’s great for Tennessee, since Walker was an absolute stud in the defensive backfield a year ago. As a junior who had just transferred in from Georgia Tech, Walker excelled at free safety to rack up 36 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception. But the most impressive stat may be his 5.5 tackles for loss — a strikingly high number for a safety. He’s a playmaker, for sure.

Tamarion McDonald was also very good in his role last season. Like Walker, he got into the opposing backfield and totaled four TFLs of his own while coming in at fourth on the team in tackles with 56. In coverage, he notched six pass break-ups and came down with two picks.

These are two of the best players in the Tennessee secondary. Good thing they’re not out for long.