How Tennessee football will replace opt-out players vs Illinois

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NASHVILLE – Who is not playing in the Music City Bowl for Tennessee football and Illinois could impact the result as much as who is playing.

The Vols started their on-site bowl practice at Montgomery Bell Academy on Dec. 26, and some star players were not on the field because they opted out of the game to prepare for NFL draft workouts.

Chris Brazzell, the SEC’s leading receiver, is the most impactful player who opted out on UT’s offense.

And arguably the Vols’ three best defensive players also opted out. Joshua Josephs is the team’s best pass rusher. All-SEC linebacker Arion Carter is the team’s leading tackler. And All-SEC performer Colton Hood is the best coverage cornerback on the squad.

No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium.

In the days leading up UT’s on-site bowl practices, each player announced their plans to opt out of the Music City Bowl and declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. But coach Josh Heupel said he knew about their decisions well in advance.

“Some of the guys waited to announce their intentions. But we’ve been practicing with the same group of guys for a while now,” Heupel said on Dec. 26. “(We) planned on those guys making that announcement. We feel good about where we’re at and the guys that are here ready to go play.”

Left tackle Lance Heard, nickelback Jalen McMurray, defensive lineman Bryson Eason and tight end Miles Kitselman are also NFL draft prospects. But they are expected to play in the Music City Bowl.

Kitselman missed the last two games of the regular season with a leg injury. But he is with the team at bowl practice and hopes to recover well enough to play.

These Illinois football star players opted out

Illinois will also play without key players.

Offensive tackle JC Davis, an All-Big Ten first-teamer, opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. That means an Illinois backup tackle will sometimes match up with a UT backup edge rusher because Josephs opted out.

Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas, the Big Ten’s sack leader, also opted out. And safety Matthew Bailey, the Illini’s leading tackler, is out with an injury.

That means Illinois, like UT, will have a weakened pass rush and pass coverage. It sets up the opportunity for both offenses to light up the scoreboard.

Bowls can be unpredictable. But on paper, the opt outs on defense point to a shootout in the Music City Bowl.

Here’s who replaces Tennessee football opt outs

Freshmen Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith will replace Brazzell. But UT could also utilize formations with two wide receivers and two tight ends, especially if Kitselman is available to play.

Jordan Ross and Caleb Herring will pick up the snaps at edge rusher in Josephs’ absence. Carter missed games late in the season due to injuries, so Edwin Spillman is already accustomed to filling his shoes at linebacker.

But the bigger questions come in the defensive secondary, where the Vols go from young to younger. Starting cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson already missed the season due to injuries. Now Hood has opted out, and reserve cornerback Marcus Goree plans to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 2.

UT’s best remaining cornerback is freshman Ty Redmond. The other starting spot will be filled by freshman Tre Poteat or sixth-year senior William Wright. Freshman Timothy Merritt also could get snaps in the bowl game.

“Those guys have been preparing all year (for this opportunity),” senior safety Andre Turrentine said. “They knew they were going to have their moment sooner or later.”

Heupel said UT anticipated that Hood would not play in the bowl game, so Poteat and Merritt got increased reps in practice throughout December.

Why freshman Tre Poteat could be in spotlight

Wright is a veteran walk-on and a steady replacement. But this is his final college game, so there’s no long-term upside to playing him. Poteat and Merritt, presumably, will compete for a spot in the cornerback rotation in 2026.

Poteat, a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, has played only 50 snaps on defense this season. But he’s played 109 snaps on special teams. He has 11 tackles and one pass breakup.

“Tre has done a phenomenal job during the course of the season of continuing to grow,” Heupel said. “He made plays on special teams. He got some action on the defensive side of the ball early in the year.

“His preparation here in December has been really good. We expect him to be ready to go play at a really high level.”

Merritt was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class. He has played 45 snaps on defense and 84 snaps on special teams this season.

They’ll face a solid Illinois passing attack. It’s led by veteran quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has passed for 2,811 yards, 21 TDs and five interceptions this season.

It’s a challenging matchup for the Vols, who ranked 15th among 16 SEC teams in pass defense, allowing 248.8 yards per game. And those stats were recorded before key defensive players opted out.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee football will replace opt-out players vs Illinois

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