Final Injury Report: Tennessee-Purdue
Tennessee and Purdue will take the field in Nashville for kickoff at 3:00 pm ET and we take a look at who is in and who is out for the Vols. Tennessee has several key players out, but they are not dealing with any COVID issues.
Tennessee INs and OUTs
Alontae Taylor (OUT)- The Vols' star senior cornerback chose to forego playing in Tennessee's bowl game against Purdue to prep for the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile along with the 2022 NFL Draft.
Aaron Beasley (IN)- Despite having dealt with some injuries to close out the regular season, the Vols starting junior linebacker is active in Nashville.
JaVonta Payton (IN)- Payton sustained a shoulder injury early against Georgia and was heavily limited against South Alabama and Vanderbilt, but the Mississippi State transfer will give it a full go in his final game as a collegiate athlete in the Music City Bowl.
Cooper Mays (IN)- Cooper Mays has dealt with injuries all year, and Tennessee played multiple games, especially early in the season, with Jerome Carvin at center. However, the Music City Bowl will see Cooper Mays at a full go, but the same cannot be said about his brother, Cade.
Elijah Simmons (OUT)- The Vols starting defensive tackle has dealt with injuries this year, and he played in limited fashion against South Alabama. Simmons was out against Vanderbilt for undisclosed reasons, and the sophomore defensive lineman is out again for the bowl game.
Cade Mays (OUT)- Tennessee star offensive tackle Cade Mays will be inactive for the Vols in the Music City Bowl with an ankle injury, according to Josh Heupel. It remains to be seen if Mays will return to Rocky Top for the 2022 season or test the NFL Draft waters, as Mays is a senior but has one more year of eligibility remaining.
Kenneth George Jr. (OUT)- George has missed the last couple of games for the Vols, and he spent the entirety of the Vanderbilt matchup on the sideline in street clothes, and he is in street clothes yet again in Music City Bowl warmups. He will not be available for today's bowl game against Purdue.
Brandon Turnage (OUT)- The Vols sophomore transfer DB is out for undisclosed reasons for Tennessee's bowl game. He was expected to be a key part of the Vols cornerback rotation, along with Kamal Hadden, as the duo of transfers looked to replace Alontae Taylor, who opted out.
Kaemen Marley/Trinity Bell (OUT)- Bell and Marley have been limited since the preseason. Marley dealt with a hand injury after arriving on campus, but he is no longer with the team, according to one source, and Bell has been working to rehab an ACL injury that he sustained before coming to campus. He practiced with the team during bowl prep and moved from tight end to defensive end.
Juwan Mitchell (OUT)- Mitchell is out for the season following a season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this year.
Kingston Harris, LaTrell Bumphus, and Aubrey Solomon (OUT)- This trio has missed a bulk of the 2021 season. They were in street clothes for the media viewing portion of practice earlier this week and they won't participate today.
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