KNOXVILLE - Tennessee was one team captain short for the pregame coin toss against Alabama on Saturday, but Jalen Reeves-Maybin had a good reason for being absent.
The senior linebacker, a fixture on the sideline and around the team in recent games despite being injured, underwent shoulder surgery and likely will miss the rest of the season, a program source confirmed to the Times Free Press.
The procedure was first reported by InsideTennessee.com.
Last week, ahead of the 49-10 loss to the Crimson Tide that dropped the Volunteers to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference heading into this week's open date, Tennessee coach Butch Jones indicated last week Reeves-Maybin was continuing to evaluate his options and consider whether trying to return this season or going ahead with the surgery was best for his football future.
"Jalen Reeves-Maybin is still looking at some different options for what avenues he wants to pursue," Jones said last Monday, "and he has all the time he possibly needs to make that decision. Jalen Reeves-Maybin has earned that right and deserves that right to make a decision when he feels it's appropriate for him."
He hurt the shoulder covering a punt in the first half of Tennessee's win against Ohio last month and tried to play against Florida the following week, but he only lasted a couple of defensive series before pain forced him from the game.
He missed the past three games but traveled with the team to Georgia and Texas A&M.
After considering early entry into the NFL draft, Reeves-Maybin opted to return this year. The team's leading tackler the previous two seasons previously hurt his shoulder during spring practice and spent most of the summer recovering from surgery, and he also underwent shoulder surgery shortly after enrolling at Tennessee in January 2013.