Tennessee freshman wide receiver Preston Williams looks on during the Vols' open practice at Neyland Stadium on Aug. 15, 2015.KNOXVILLE -- The waiting is done for Tennessee and one of its freshmen.
Wide receiver Preston Williams was cleared as eligible for the Volunteers on Thursday, some 17 days after he had to re-take his standardized test.
The NCAA Eligibility Center flagged Williams's score in late July. The Atlanta-area product wasn't cleared to practice or play until he took his ACT a second time. The Vols had been waiting nearly three weeks to receive word on the player's status.
Twitter posts from Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and receivers coach Zach Azzanni on Thursday afternoon confirmed the Vols had been told Williams was cleared.
"The update is out of our hands," Jones said earlier Thursday. "We're hoping to find something out here very, very shortly. I think it is unfortunate that this young man has had to go through this lengthy process."
Though he's been cleared, Williams may not be able to help the Vols right away.
He continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered late in his senior season at Hampton's Lovejoy High School, where he caught 43 passes for 916 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014 and totaled 56 receptions for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
Tennessee had to hold off Georgia and Auburn to hold onto the 6-foot-4, 209-pound Williams.
The freshman made impressive strides in his recovery over the summer, and the Vols believed he would have been able to practice some when training camp began.
He's been working out on his own and done some agility work while awaiting word on his status.
The Vols will have a better idea on how ready Williams is when they return to practice after this weekend.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.