Freshman RB Dee Beckwith out against South Carolina with ankle injury

One of the more talked about players in Tennessee’s 2020 freshman class will have to wait to make his debut for the Volunteers. Dee Beckwith, a 6-5, 220 pound athlete who has been working at the running back position, won’t travel to Columbia this Saturday to face the Gamecocks.

Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt ruled Beckwith out today.

“(Beckwith) won’t travel with us this week because he suffered an ankle injury in practice, so he’ll be out,” Pruitt said. “Hopefully we can get him back going again so he can contribute before the season is over.”

Beckwith was assumed to land with the receivers or tight ends after signing with Tennessee as a four-star athlete. But after the dismissal of Tim Jordan and lingering injury of Len’Neth Whitehead, the Vols needed numbers at the running back position. This injury news follows the opt out of Carlin Fils-aime, which leaves Tennessee with a bit of a numbers issue at the position.

Eric Gray and Ty Chandler will do the heavy lifting with freshmen Jabari Small and Tee Hodge behind them. It’s notable to remember that both Jeremy Banks and Quavaris Crouch have played the running back position before and could be called upon in a pinch. Both are listed as co-starters at linebacker on the newly released depth chart, however.

Tennessee and South Carolina kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network.