Tennessee CB Rashaan Gaulden out for year with foot injury
Tennessee's Rashaan Gaulden, the team's projected starter at nickel cornerback, is out for the year after he suffered a broken foot.
"We've repped a number of individuals at nickel, so finding a replacement will be an ongoing process. Rashaan meant so much to us, not just from a DB standpoint, but special teams as well," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said via Volquest.com.
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"Last year as a true freshman that's where he made his impact. So now not only do we have
to replace him on defense, but we also have to replace his productivity on special teams as well."
Gaulden broke his foot during a punt return drill at practice on Thursday.
There doesn't appear to be a clear-cut answer to who will take Gaulden's spot in the slot. The job could be rotated among a host of cornerbacks depending on matchups.
"We do have some options. Cam [Sutton] has played there. Malik Foreman has played there. Micah Abernathy has played there. A number of individuals have played there, Emmanuel Mosley has had some reps there," Jones said.
Sutton, a projected starter at outside cornerback, has requested to wear Gaulden's No. 7 jersey this season after the injury.
Gaulden was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 according to Rivals. He was the No. 19 safety in the country. He appeared in 11 of Tennessee's 13 games in 2014 and had seven tackles.
For more Tennessee news, visit VolQuest.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!