Jourdan Thomas Causing Shuffling in the DB Room for Tennessee Volunteers

Jonathan Williams | Aug 4, 2024

A UConn player drops the ball with Tennessee defensive back Jourdan Thomas (25) and Tennessee defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally (1) watches during the Tennessee football game against UConn at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. / Angelina Alcantar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Volunteers are just a few days into fall camp in the lead up to the 2024 season and they've already experienced their first critical injury to a likely starter. Jourdan Thomas had never started a game for the Vols at the Nickel position in this defense. However, he had played in 25 games at a position that's extremely young and lacks a plethora of options.

News broke Sunday that Thomas is expected to miss the season with a knee injury suffered in practice.

Preseason NICKEL Depth Chart:
- Jourdan Thomas
- Boo Carter
- Christian Harrison
Thomas has played in 25 football games in two seasons in Knoxville, but never in a starting role. This is a major growth season for Thomas. Freshman Boo Carter has shown reasons for optimism for his career moving forward.

Now, the Vols will likely look to the uber-talented Boo Carter. Carter has already garnered the attention of the coaching staff, even prior to Thomas' injury. Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks had this to say about Carter. "Boo is great energy all the time. He is a guy that is always 100 miles per hour. I think as he continues to grow in our program, he will continue to get a little bit more mature. We definitely like what he brings from a football perspective. He is a kid that works hard and wants to do well. He has shown some maturity, but I think you will see more once he gets his feet wet a little bit."

Well, he's going to be thrown into the deep end now, there will be now getting the feet wet.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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