No one likes to be sidelined, especially one of the best wide receivers in college football.
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman has been out with an injury that he suffered when Tennessee faced Akron on Sept. 17.
The star wideout has been active in team meetings, despite being unable to play, something that quarterback Hendon Hooker has taken notice of.
“You know, (Tillman’s) dialed in,” Hooker said on Monday. “He’s communicating with the receivers. Like this morning we had our quarterback receiver meeting and (Tillman’s) back in there, you know, communicating with his receivers, you know what we like and communicating with the quarterbacks. Hey, we might run it like this, get certain looks. So you know I love just him being here and being positive and bringing that energy and that juice to the team.”
Tillman was a preseason All-SEC selection. He was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2021, and had 17 receptions for 246 yards through three games before getting hurt.
Seen as a leader in Tennessee’s locker room, Hooker had made an effort to make sure Tillman is alright, and ready for when he may return.
I try to make a conscious effort to always check on my guys, no matter if they’re healthy or if they’re not,” Hooker said. “Communicating with (Tillman), we talk a lot and spend a lot of time together. Just really making sure that his mental is in the right space.”
Tillman’s status for this weekend is unknown. He had undergone surgery that was meant to speed up his recovery, head coach Josh Heupel confirmed on Oct. 3.
No matter if Tillman returns this week, or further down the road, Hooker believes his former No. 1 wide receiver is ready to be back on the field.
“He’s done a great job of just being locked in,” Hooker said. “And staying in the now, and knowing what defenses we’re getting, and knowing the game plan, so that when his time comes and he’s feeling better and he’s ready to come back, that he’ll be in the same flow.”
