KNOXVILLE - The University of Tennessee football team isn't blessed with depth at many positions this season.
Defensive end is a rare exception.
That was the lone silver lining Thursday, when senior and likely starter Ben Martin ruptured his Achilles' tendon.
First-year Volunteers coach Derek Dooley confirmed Friday what the Times Free Press reported Thursday night, that Martin's season was in serious jeopardy.
Martin, who played as a true freshman, has a redshirt year available if he needs it. Dooley wouldn't rule him out for the season, but Martin has told several people that he plans to take the redshirt. Achilles' repairs often require a year of rehab - longer in some cases.
"He's got another year, but I'm not ready to say he's out for the year," Dooley said. "With these injuries, I never get like that. I'm just like, 'Let's see what happens tomorrow in rehab and see how it goes,' and you never know.
"But he does have another year of eligibility if it's that bad."
Dooley certainly wasn't pleased with the Martin news but noted the team's defensive end depth.
"I wish we were deep in all these positions, but if I guess if this is going to happen at one position, we can manage this one a little better," the coach said. "But any time you lose a good player, it hurts. It hurts your team."
Gerald Williams temporarily will take Martin's place as fellow senior Chris Walker's bookend, but the Vols have several options. Junior Malik Jackson, a transfer from Southern California who might have started for the Trojans this season, moved from the newcomers' practice to the veterans' practice Friday and was paired with second-team sophomore Willie Bohannon. True freshmen Corey Miller and Ooltewah's Jacques Smith also have drawn positive reviews since enrolling early and participating in spring practice.
"This offseason, Ben was one of the hardest-working guys, especially coming back from his knee injury," Jackson said. "Coach told him to take a day off yesterday if he needed to, but he's a warrior. He came out here and tried to battle. It's really unfortunate, because he was looking really good, and he was really looking forward to this season.
"My heart goes out to him, but I'm going to try my best to do good for the team and fill his position, so we can keep going. The good thing about it is if one guy goes down, another can step up."
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