KNOXVILLE – After practice Wednesday, Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt confirmed reports that senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden suffered a torn ACL late in Tuesday’s practice.
“He won’t be with us this year,” Pruitt said. “It’s unfortunate for him and this football team, but he’s a guy that has another year. He will continue to go to school and get ready to go back next spring, next fall.”
The injury costs the Volunteers their most experienced returning defensive lineman, as the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder – the line’s unquestioned leader – tied for second on the team with seven tackles for loss. He had 33 total tackles and a sack in 2018.
The Vols brought in four new linemen this season in recruiting, and at least two of those players – Darel Middleton and Savion Williams – will be expected to fill in for Gooden. A third, Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon, would have the most experience of any player not named Gooden, but he has not yet been given a waiver by the NCAA that would make him eligible immediately.
The fourth, 340-pound freshman Elijah Simmons, has drawn positive reviews early on.