What Josh Heupel said Monday about Bru McCoy's injury
All Josh Heupel could say about Bru McCoy at halftime Saturday night, as No. 22 Tennessee was leading South Carolina 24-10 at the break, was that he hated it for him. The gruesome season-ending injury was a brutal blow for a Tennessee wide receiver who deserved so much better.
He said it again after Tennessee’s 41-20 win over the Gamecocks, during his postgame press conference. And again on Monday while speaking to the Knoxville Quarterback Club.
“Obviously you hate seeing that, rough injury for him,” Heupel told the crowd, “a guy that’s invested so much in him becoming his best. But over his journey here, he has invested in becoming a great leader and has a great impact in our building, in the wide receiver room.”
‘There’s nobody in college football that plays harder’
McCoy went down with the injury to his lower right leg in the second quarter against South Carolina. He had surgery overnight Saturday to repair the fracture and dislocation of his right ankle.
He was carted off the field 6:16 left in the first half, while Tennessee was leading 17-10. Joe Milton III completed a pass to McCoy for 18 yards before he went down.
Trainers immediately brought the cart onto the field for the injury to McCoy’s right leg, as McCoy covered his face with his hands. He left Neyland Stadium in an ambulance after being carted off the field.
McCoy entered Saturday night’s game leading the Vols in receptions with 15 for 196 yards and a touchdown. He had two catches for 21 yards before the injury against South Carolina.
“You guys have seen him,” Heupel said. “There’s nobody in college football that plays harder or tougher than he does too. And it just takes seeing that, it’s a part of the game, but it’s a part that you don’t like. So it’s hard for him to, to grasp the injury and then the toughest thing for an athlete is just in that moment where you’re not healthy.”
That’s the moment McCoy is stuck in — for now.
Bru McCoy enrolled at Texas, transferred to Southern Cal before move to Tennessee
“And when I say not healthy, you’re not on the beginning part of the journey of rehabbing,” Heupel said. “That’s the toughest part, because you’re kind of in limbo. So I know that he’s excited to get back on that rehab journey. He’s got a great football future in front of him and we’re excited for that.”
McCoy, a former five-star prospect out of Santa Ana, Calif., started his college career at Texas in January 2019, before transferring to Southern Cal a few months later. He transferred to Tennessee in January 2022. He caught 52 passes for 667 yards and four touchdowns over 12 games in his debut with the Vols last season.
“Bru has just thoroughly enjoyed his time here in Knoxville and being a part of the program in the community,” Heupel said. “He appreciates the support from everybody … he’s a guy that’s been at two other stops and I know he wishes that he had started his journey here just because he’s enjoyed it so much.”
