According to a report from 247Sports, sophomore defensive tackle Shy Tuttle sustained a season-ending injury for the second consecutive year.
Tuttle sustained an injury to his right leg in the second half of Tennessee’s 24-21 loss to South Carolina on Saturday night and had to be carted to the locker room once he was helped to the sideline. Tuttle was hurt in the Georgia game in 2015 and missed the rest of the season after suffering a severe foot/ankle injury in that game. He missed spring practice as well as he continued to recover, and he made his debut against Virginia Tech at the Battle at Bristol this season.
Tuttle’s 2016 campaign will end with him totaling nine tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and two pass breakups in seven games.
This isn’t the first season-ending injury the Vols have sustained this season either. Tuttle joins an ever-growing list of Vols who are lost for the year. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, fellow sophomore defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, and linebacker Quart’e Sapp are all out for the year with injuries. Throw in defensive tackle Danny O’Brien who was dismissed due to a violation of team rules and the transfer of wide receiver Preston Williams, and that’s six Vols who are now gone from the roster for the season who were expected to contribute significantly this year.
Injuries keep piling up for the Vols, and this latest one to Tuttle is a big blow to an already depleted defensive tackle position. Tennessee is going to have to get creative at the position moving forward.
