Jauan Jennings among Vols expected to receive medical redshirt

KNOXVILLE - If Jauan Jennings returns to the Tennessee football team in good health and good standing, his play on the field in 2018 may make any discussion about his classification irrelevant.

For now, Tennessee is planning for the mercurial wide receiver to receive a medical redshirt for the 2017 season, meaning he would have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

photo Jauan Jennings (15) shows the ball after catching a touchdown pass. The annual Spring Orange and White Football game was held at Neyland Stadium on April 22, 2017.

Medical redshirts have not been approved by the NCAA yet, but Jennings was listed as a redshirt junior on the spring-game roster after he missed the rest of his true junior season following an injury he suffered in the first half of the 2017 season opener.

Jennings caught 40 passes for seven touchdowns in 2016, including a last-second grab to beat Georgia. If he posts similar numbers in 2018 or improves them, he could position himself to be selected in the 2019 NFL draft.

But if the NCAA approves his medical redshirt, Jennings would at least have the option of returning to Tennessee for a fifth season.

Jennings underwent a minor knee operation this winter, rendering him unavailable for spring practice. He worked out with Tennessee's strength and conditioning staff during practices.

The mere fact that Jennings was with the program at all came as a welcome sight to Volunteers fans after he was kicked off the team late last season by then-interim head coach Brady Hoke with the approval of then-athletic director John Currie.

Jennings' dismissal came after a profanity-laced tirade he posted on social media directed at the coaching staff that was in place at the time. Jennings indicated in the video that he wanted to return from the injury to play in Tennessee's season finale against Vanderbilt.

Had he played in the game, which UT lost 42-24 to finish the season 4-8, Jennings could have jeopardized his eligibility for a redshirt season. Most resources explaining the NCAA's Division I football medical-redshirt rules state that players who appear in any game after the midpoint of the season are ineligible to receive a medical redshirt.

Aside from state bragging rights, the game against Vanderbilt was essentially meaningless as the Vols were already out of bowl contention.

Soon after Jennings' dismissal, Phillip Fulmer replaced Currie as athletic director and hired Jeremy Pruitt as the new football coach. Jennings was then reinstated on a conditional basis. SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy said during Tennessee's spring game that Jennings has "surpassed" Pruitt's expectations.

A healthy and fully reinstated Jennings would be a major jolt to a Tennessee receiving corps that struggled in 2017. At 6-foot-3, Jennings would combine with 6-2 junior Marquez Callaway to provide the Vols with a pair of formidable perimeter threats capable of elevating over defenders to make catches.

Other candidates

Darrin Kirkland Jr. and offensive lineman Chance Hall also appear likely to receive medical redshirts after both missed their true junior seasons in 2017 with knee injuries. A paper copy of the roster distributed to media at the spring game listed both as redshirt juniors.

An online version of Tennessee's roster has not been updated to reflect the change.

Safety Todd Kelly Jr. is listed on the paper copy of the spring roster as a redshirt senior, as he also is expected to receive a medical redshirt for a knee injury that forced him to miss most of his true senior season.

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.

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