Josh Heupel updates the status of Tennessee defensive back Doneiko Slaughter

Tennessee is still waiting for Doneiko Slaughter to get fully healthy, as the senior defensive back continues to deal with a foot injury. After missing two straight games, he played six snaps in the 41-20 win over South Carolina Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

“(It’s) just an injury at his position that he hasn’t been able to get back to 100 percent,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday while speaking at the Knoxville Quarterback Club. “We played him some in this past ball game. We do need him to come on.”

Slaughter was one of a few players missing for the Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) against the Gamecocks. Tennessee is off this week before hosting Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0) on October 14 (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS) in Knoxville.

Slaughter missed two games before limited return vs. South Carolina

Left guard Andrej Karic didn’t play against South Carolina. Neither did wide receiver Dont’e Thornton or right tackle Jeremiah Crawford.

Slaughter has two tackles so far this season, with both coming against Austin Peay in Tennessee’s 30-13 on September 9. 

“He’s one of the guys that’s gotta get 100 percent healthy,” Heupel said. “And he’s one of the guys that was playing a bunch of snaps early in the year for us. We need him to get back and get right. That will make us a better secondary for sure.”

Slaughter played 41 snaps in the win over Austin Peay and played 29 snaps in the 49-13 win over Virginia on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. ProFootballFocus gave Slaughter a 52.9 grade against Austin Peay. He had a grade of 66.3 against Virginia, ranking him 14th on Tennessee’s defense, and a 63.2 grade against South Carolina.

Up Next: No. 22 Tennessee vs. South Carolina, October 14, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Slaughter, who moved to cornerback over the offseason, has played in 36 games over his three-plus seasons with the Vols, including 12 of 13 games last season. He had a career-high 31 tackles last season, including 0.5 tackles for loss, to go with an interception and seven passes defended. 

He had 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack in 11 games as a sophomore in 2021. He had eight tackles, including a sack, in 10 games as a freshman in the 10-game, COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Tennessee on Saturday night got back starting senior center Cooper Mays, who had missed the first four games of the season after undergoing hernia surgery on August 9.

“We’ve been banged up this season,” Heupel said. “Some years, it just ends up playing out that way. We’ve been banged up front. Started with Coop not being available early part, great to have him back on Saturday. Did a great job getting us dialed in, communicating, getting all five guys on the same page. 

“He’s a help from his strength, his athleticism, his pass protection inside. It was a big part of the football game. Great to have him back here as we go the rest of the way.”