The Tennessee Volunteers do not open their 2025 football season until Aug. 30 against Syracuse inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but one of their top players is already questionable for that game.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy, who had a stellar sophomore season in Knoxville after playing his freshman year at Oregon State, tore his anterior cruciate ligament during a recent offseason workout in his hometown of Whitehouse, Texas. The 6-foot, 193-pounder has already undergone surgery, according to On3 Sports.
McCoy had an instant impact at Tennessee, starting all 13 games for a team that went 10-3 and reached the College Football Playoff before falling 42-17 at Ohio State. He amassed 44 tackles, nine pass breakups and four interceptions.
His one-handed interception in the end zone during the first half against Alabama had been his most acrobatic of the season until snagging a tipped pick while on his back in the end zone during the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt.
“If it’s in the air, I’ve got to go get it,” a smiling McCoy said following the 36-23 triumph in Nashville.
In other Tennessee football news, ESPN reported Wednesday that defensive coordinator Tim Banks is close to reaching a contract extension with the Vols.
Tennessee has improved steadily defensively in each of its four seasons under Banks, with his latest unit ranking sixth nationally in fewest yards allowed (293.2 per game) and seventh in fewest points allowed (16.1 per game). The Vols held each of their first nine opponents under 20 points this past season until falling 31-17 at Georgia on Nov. 16.
Henderson honored
Former Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson, who was a first-team All-American during the 2000-01 seasons, was announced Wednesday as part of the 2025 class for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Henderson, the 2000 Outland Trophy winner, will become Tennessee’s 27th representative in the College Football Hall of Fame, including the 23rd player. Former safety Eric Berry was Tennessee’s most recent inductee in 2023.
The 22-member class for 2025 will be inducted during the National Football Foundation’s 67th annual awards dinner on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
Record revenue
Tennessee revealed Wednesday that its athletic department had $234,058,790 in total operating revenue for the most recent fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
The operating revenue set a record for the university, surpassing last year’s previous high of just more than $202 million.
Ticket sales increased more than 16% from $39.7 million in the 2023 fiscal year to $46.6 million this past fiscal year. Both of those years set revenue records.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.