Josh Heupel updates Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman's availability status for LSU game

Tennessee is in the midst of a rejuvenating season, but one player who’s missed some of the biggest moments has been wide receiver Cedric Tillman.

Sidelined with an injury, the star wide receiver has been aiming to get back on the field for the home stretch. With a showdown against LSU looming large on Saturday, Josh Heupel provided an update on Tillman’s status for the SEC showdown.

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“Cedric is able to move around,” Heupel said Thursday. “Ultimately, that will be a decision the medical staff and him make tomorrow whether or not he’s gonna play.”

Earlier this week, Heupel said provided a solid update on the wide receiver, stating Tillman “moved around a little bit” but he has to show he can be a “functional player” to grace the field against the Tigers.

“He was limited but moved around a little bit today. We will see where he’s at. He had the surgery to speed up the recovery process,” Heupel shared on Monday. “Has to show this week he can be a functional player in order to get on the field.”

Alas, losing Tillman was quite a blow for Tennessee heading into their last matchup against Florida earlier this season. But ahead a bye week with LSU on the docket next, Tillman took a big step to try and speed up his return.

To illustrate, Tillman underwent “tightrope” ankle surgery to avoid missing more time, ESPN’s Chris Low originally reported. It’s the same type of procedure Tua Tagovailoa underwent twice while he was at Alabama. The first time, Tagovailoa returned in 28 days, and he came within three weeks of the second surgery.

Originally, Tillman suffered the injury in Tennessee’s victory over Akron Sept. 17, which caused him to miss the Volunteers’ thrilling victory over the Gators at Neyland Stadium. In three games this season, he has 17 receptions for 246 yards and a touchdown to his name, one year after totaling more than 1,000 yards.

He decided to forego the 2022 NFL Draft, returning for one more go-round with the Vols and quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Now, Cedric Tillman and the Volunteers have everything ahead of them, but they’ll need to travel to No. 25 LSU this coming weekend and leave with a victory. The star Tennessee wide receiver is hopeful to take the field, but very well may not if he’s unable to show he’s completely recovered. 

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this article.