A Look at Tennessee's Injury Situation So Far This Spring

Tennessee returned to the practice field on Thursday evening and will be back on Friday morning before a brief pause for Easter weekend. We will see where things stand with Tennessee on Friday morning, but as of Thursday afternoon, there were still several notable absences or injuries to discuss.
Len'Neth Whitehead, Christian Charles, LaTrell Bumphus, Riley Locklear, and Jimmy Holiday were in non-contact jerseys. So, we will start there.
Whitehead suffered an injury to his foot at the end of his senior season in high school and the previous Tennessee staff chose to take it slow with him last fall. Once he made it back, he started to impress the previous coaching staff with his ability. However, Pruitt announced in November, Whitehead had suffered a shoulder injury that would require surgery, which is what he is dealing with this spring, as the new Tennessee staff is being extra cautious with him at this point in the install and not rushing him back to contact.
Staying on the shoulder surgery front, Christian Charles and Riley Locklear both suffered torn labrums last fall. Charles's injury happened early in his senior season at Chestatee (Ga.) and required surgery. He should be nearing a full recovery soon and will work in at the cornerback position once he is ready to go. Tennessee needs all the depth they can get across the OL, and Locklear will look to factor in at one of the guard spots in his final season on Rocky Top. Locklear had surgery at the end of October, and there is no set timeline for his return.
Bumphus suffered a knee injury in the Arkansas game last season that forced him to miss the remainder of Tennessee's COVID season. He chose to return for his extra senior season, and he will look to factor back into the rotation when healthy. All indications suggest Tennessee is just extra cautious with him during the spring.
Other limited participants in the practice included Jalin Hyatt, Malachi Wideman, Tiyon Evans, and Cheyenne Labruzza.
Wideman was wearing shoulder pads for the practice, while Hyatt was not. Both appear very close to being able to return to full speed, with multiple sources saying this is the case. Hyatt is dealing with a nagging injury that he played all of last season with, and as Kodi Burns said earlier this week, Tennessee is just being cautious with both guys. At this point, it appears Labruzza is still rehabbing an old injury while Evans is limited due to a minor injury. Multiple sources have indicated Evans turning heads since he has arrived on campus.
There is no timetable for a return to the practice field for Jeremy Banks, who had some off-season cleanup work done, but it does appear he should be a full go by the fall, as Tennessee needs all the help it can get out the inside linebacker spot. There is nothing to report on Roman Harrison's absence at this time, and it is something we will monitor moving forward.
Kaidon Salter is among the group of players suspended; however, one source has stated he is the closest to being back with the team, as his legal issues are close to being resolved. We will see how that shakes out, as the Easter Holiday will slow things down to an extent.

Matt Ray is the publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports. Matt also is a lead analyst at Sports Illustrated All-American, Sports Illustrated lead authority in high school recruiting coverage. When not at work covering the Tennessee Volunteers or the recruiting trail, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Destiny traveling the country.