Tennessee football has largely avoided the serious injury bug through the first 12 practices of fall camp, but they haven’t avoided it completely.
Freshman defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby is out for the entirety of the 2023 season and while the Vols aren’t ruling him freshman running back DeSean Bishop out for the entirety of the season they do expect him to be sidelined for multiple months, head coach Josh Heupel announced Wednesday.
Heupel didn’t specify what Weathersby’s or Bishop’s injuries specifically are.
Weathersby is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive lineman that was primarily working at strong-side defensive end as well as a little bit of defensive tackle. The Douglasville, Georgia native was unlikely to be a key rotation piece along the defensive line this season but his injury is a blow to depth as well as the talented youngster’s development.
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With Weathersby sidelined, sophomore Tyre West and freshman Daevin Hobbs development becomes even more important as the Vols look for quality depth more than two-deep.
Like the freshman defensive lineman, Bishop was unlikely to be a major piece for Tennessee at running back this season. The Vols return talented backs Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson— who all totaled at least 390 yards last season.
Bishop impressed in spring practice and in the Orange-and-White game after enrolling early in January. The Knoxville native was competing with fellow freshman Cam Seldon and Khalifa Keith for the fourth running back spot before suffering the injury that’s sidelining him for much of his freshman season.
Tennessee opens up its 2023 campaign against Virginia on Sept. 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
