Cedric Tillman, Jaylen McCollough, other starters back for Tennessee football vs. Kentucky
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman and safety Jaylen McCollough are among six starters now available against Kentucky after missing recent games.
Cornerbacks Kamal Hadden and Christian Charles, offensive tackle Gerald Mincey and linebacker Juwan Mitchell also are active for the game, according to a Tennessee spokesperson. Whether any of them will be limited is uncertain.
Freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson and linebacker Kwauze Garland are inactive.
No. 3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC) plays No. 17 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN at Neyland Stadium.
Tillman has missed four straight games since suffering an ankle injury that required surgery against Akron on Sept. 17. On Friday, he announced his return in an Instagram post Friday that reminded fans about his NIL deal with Moonshine Mountain Cookies.
McCollough has not played since being arrested Oct. 9 and charged with felony aggravated assault charge. He will not be subject to any sanctions by the university and remains enrolled as a student without suspension or probation.
"You guys saw the campus part of his process is complete," Heupel said Monday. "Now it's just the other part of the process." A Tennessee spokesperson confirmed Heupel was acknowledging the legal process, which is still ongoing.
McCollough's attorney asserted “his complete innocence” in a statement. And McCollough said he acted in self-defense when he punched a drunken stranger who walked into his apartment unexpectedly, and that Knoxville Police Department officers did not interview witnesses to the incident before arresting him.
Hadden missed the Alabama game last week due to unspecified injury. Charles, Mincey and Mitchell have been limited by nagging injuries.
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cedric Tillman, Jaylen McCollough, other starters back for Tennessee football vs. Kentucky
