A look at No.9 Tennessee's injury situation ahead of Austin Peay

No.9 Tennessee (1-0) will square off against Austin Peay (0-1) on Saturday at 5 pm E.T. on ESPN+. The Vols are coming off of a 49-13 win over Virginia in Nashville top open the season. Following the opener, the Vols are dealing with a few nagging injuries. We take a full look at where Tennessee’s injury status stands ahead of this weekend’s matchup.

LB Keenan Pili

Volquest reported earlier in the week that Tennessee had been dealt a significant blow on the injury front as the veteran linebacker, who got his first start as a Vol last saturday, suffered an upper body injury against Virginia that will sideline him for an extended period of time. Josh Heupel confirmed the news on the SEC Teleconference. 

“I don’t believe it’s season ending at this point,” Heupel said. “We’ll see how he continues to heal up in the coming days and weeks.”

WR Squirrel White

Tennessee’s second-year slot receiver suffered an undisclosed injury in the second-half of the win over Virginia and did not return, but according to Josh Heupel, he has no concerns around White’s status at this time. 

“Just the time of the game (with Squirrel White),” Heupel said on why White. “That’s the only reason that he wasn’t back in the game. Felt we were in a good spot there.”

DL Omari Thomas

Veteran defensive lineman Omari Thomas also went down with an injury in the second half against Virginia, but Heupel also alluded to the Vols being in a good spot with the standout defensive lineman ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

DL Elijah Simmons

Simmons missed last week’s season-opener against Virginia and a timetable for his return remains uncertain. He is dealing with a lower body injury sustained in fall camp. 

“A guy that has been great all training camp and really all offseason. He’ll be out for this one,” Vols Head Coach Josh Heupel said last Thursday ahead of Virginia. “But we’ll see where that goes moving forward.”

Center Cooper Mays

Veteran offensive lineman Cooper Mays has not been able to suit up for Tennessee since undergoing a “minor procedure” during fall camp. Mays will be out this week, but roughly four weeks removed from the procedure, the standout offensive lineman continues to progress toward a return.

“Cooper, he’s been with us on the field” Heupel said earlier in the week. “We will not play him in this one (against Austin Peay). That’s just in preparation for the following week, make sure that he’s 100 percent.”

Freshmen DL Tyree Weathersby, RB Desean Bishop 

Tennessee freshmen Tyree Weathersby and Desean Bishop both suffered long-term injuries around the same time in fall camp. Weathersby will be out for the season with a lower extremity injury, while Bishop’s injury could allow him to return at some point, but he could miss an extended period of time. 

“Weathersby will be out for the year. Deshaun is not out for the year but will be out for an extended period of time. Probably a couple of months,” Josh Heupel said on August 16th.

Volquest will have a full “Who’s in, Who’s Out” injury report available tomorrow during pre-game.