Injured Cedric Tillman ruled out for Tennessee football vs. Florida | Source
Injured Tennessee football wide receiver Cedric Tillman has been ruled out before Saturday's SEC opener against Florida at Neyland Stadium, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Tennessee has not yet announced which players will be inactive for the game, but Tillman's availability already was in doubt. Last week, he suffered a lower leg injury in the Vols' 63-6 win over Akron when he jumped to make a catch and took a low hit.
No. 12 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) plays No. 22 Florida (2-1, 1-0) at 3:30 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium. It will be televised nationally on CBS.
Tillman is one of best wide receivers in college football. He was a 1,000-yard receiver last season and has 17 catches for 246 yards and a TD this season. So replacing him might not be an easy task.
Starters Jalin Hyatt (18 receptions, 267 yards, three TDs) and Bru McCoy (eight receptions, 109 yards, one TD) must pick up the slack. Experienced backup Ramel Keyton (five receptions, 114 yards, one TD), sophomore Walker Merrill (four receptions, 67 yards, two TDs), freshman Squirrel White (four receptions, 72 yards) and Jimmy Holiday (five receptions, 68 yards, one TD) are the top options.
Jimmy Calloway is suspended for the first half of the game by coach Josh Heupel after his ejection from the Akron game. So he could be a factor late in the game, if needed.
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cedric Tillman injury: Tennessee football receiver ruled out vs Florida