There has been a lot of turmoil surrounding Tennessee football this offseason with the stunning departure of Nico Iamaleava, but now Josh Heupel and company are moving on and focusing on the future.
One of the biggest components of that is getting the best players healthy and on the field for the Volunteers as they look to back up a stellar 2024 season that saw them reach the College Football Playoff before losing to eventual national champion Ohio State.
Star cornerback Jermod McCoy has not been practicing while he recovers from a torn ACL that he suffered in an offseason training incident back in January, but he took a big step 0n Friday. McCoy was back on the practice field in Knoxville doing individual drills, via Austin Price of On3 Sports.
JUST IN: @Jermodmccoy is back doing individual drills in his next step to playing football this fall ⤵️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/UnzWfdefQo
— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) August 8, 2025
McCoy had a spectacular season in 2024, earning recognition as a First Team All-SEC cornerback and a Second Team All-American on the outside, and now it looks like he may be able to return to the field at some point in 2025. He is projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft if he can come back and have a healthy season, so this is a very positive development.
The Oregon State transfer played in 13 games for the Volunteers last season and picked off four passes while making 44 tackles. He is one of the best true cover corners in the nation, so Heupel and his staff will be hoping that McCoy can get back on the field sooner rather than later.
Getting their top cover guy back would be a huge boost for the Vols, who will be relying a ton on their defense this season after losing Iamaleava to the transfer portal. Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar is in as the new starter behind center, but it would be unreasonable to expect the same production from him that the former five-star passer provided last season.
As a result, players like McCoy and some of the other stars on the Tennessee defense will have to step up. While it's unlikely that he is back and ready to go for the season opener on Aug. 30 against Syracuse, the fact that he's already practicing is great news just under seven months after his injury.
