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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones was the bearer of bad news during his Wednesday press conference. He offered an update on injured linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. and it wasn’t what we were hoping to hear.
Jones confirmed the meniscus injury to Kirkland that was initially reported by Mike Griffith of SEC Country. Butch said that he’s already undergone surgery to repair it this morning.
Kirkland was set to start for Tennessee this year and anchor the linebacker unit. Now just a few day away from the opener, Tennessee is turning to Colton Jumper once again. That’s a big ask for the senior linebacker considering the Georgia Tech offense.
Jones wouldn’t offer a timetable for Kirkland’s return, but he did rule him out for Monday night as expected. Jimmy Hyams reported earlier in the week that Kirkland could miss up to six weeks.