Butch Jones had another injury bombshell for Tennessee fans during his Monday afternoon press conference: Junior safety and return specialist Evan Berry will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
“He’s going to be missed,” Jones said, noting that he’s played well at safety and, of course, has been one of the best kickoff returners in the nation.
Jones said freshman safety Nigel Warrior will compete to start this week opposite of Todd Kelly Jr. at safety. Micah Abernathy, who was able to play some against Tech despite a hamstring injury, will also be in the mix.
At kickoff returner, Jones mentioned Marquill Osborne, Tyler Byrd, John Kelly and Micah Abernathy as players who will compete for Berry’s spot.
Jones said that both cornerback Cam Sutton and Alvin Kamara will practice on Monday. He said he “anticipates” Kamara playing against Kentucky, but would know more later in the week. Jones didn’t rule Sutton out for Saturday, but also said he would need to know more about him later in the week.
Position move: Jones confirmed that freshman tight end Devante Brooks, who appears to be redshirting this season, is moving to the offensive line.
Williams to CSU: Former Tennessee receiver Preston Williams, who transferred from Tennessee in October, announced that he will transfer to Colorado State over the weekend. Williams had nine receptions for 89 yards in 2016 with the Vols. Former Tennessee player and staff Terry Fair is on staff with the Rams.
Vols open as big favorites: Tennessee opened as a 15-point favorite against Kentucky. That line, as of early Monday afternoon, had moved down to 12.5 points.
TV info: Tennessee will play Kentucky at noon ET on the SEC Network on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the full SEC slate for Nov. 12:
