Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel noted on Wednesday evening during Vol Calls that wide receiver Bru McCoy is back in UT's building after suffering a devastating season-ending injury.
McCoy suffered the injury in the first half of Tennessee's win against South Carolina two weeks ago.
Heupel acknowledged on Wednesday night that replacing McCoy won't be easy.
"His ability to be on the same page with Joe as far as reading defenses and be in the right spot (against) man [and] zone concepts," said Heupel when asked the offense loses without McCoy on the field. "He has a great understanding of that. You lose the physicality, and not that the other guys aren’t physical because they’re competitive. They’ll stick their face in the fan, they’ll block out on the perimeter. They’re physical when they’ve got the ball in their hands."
"Bru’s just a different level of, he does (have size) and physical maturity," continued Heupel. "He’s different and special in that way. But you also lose everything that Bru brings. His consistency, his leadership, his preparation. He has had a huge influence on those guys."
“Bru was gone from our building, our locker room for a handful of days," added Heupel. "It’s been great to get him back in the building, because he’ll still have a huge impact on our football team.”
It will be nearly impossible to replace what McCoy brings to the Vols' offense. Tennessee has great depth at wide receiver, and guys like Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod should step up and play well. But McCoy is a one-of-one type player. The physicality and attitude he brings to the field will certainly be missed in the second half of the season.
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