Tennessee safety Jaylen McCollough faces February trial date in assault case

Tennessee safety Jaylen McCollough, who is projected to play his 50th career game this weekend against Florida, is headed to trial Feb. 12.

McCollough, 22, waived his appearance in Knox County Court on a charge of aggravated assault that stems from an October arrest.

A grand jury indicted McCollough in June on the charge after he punched a drunk man who walked into his apartment during the 2022 football season. His next hearing is Jan. 11 for a pretrial conference. He remains out of custody on a $2,500 bond.

The date means McCollough won't be tried until after his UT football career ends.

This year will be McCollough's last football season for UT

After his arrest, McCollough missed games against Alabama and UT Martin before he was cleared to play against Kentucky. He was never subject to university sanctions after a UT student conduct board investigated and found he did not violate the university's code of conduct.

McCollough is one of UT’s most experienced football players and a team leader. He has served as a captain and member of the Vols' leadership council. Last week, he was a game captain in the Vols' win over Austin Peay.

This is McCollough's sixth and final season at UT. That includes an additional season the NCAA granted all players in 2020 because of the COVID-exempt season.

Last season, McCollough ranked second on the team in tackles. And he’s started both games at safety this season.

In December, McCollough earned his undergraduate degree in communication studies. He is working toward a master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication.

McCollough's attorney says he had right to use force against intruder

During a preliminary hearing, McCollough and the student who was punched offered differing accounts of the Oct. 9 confrontation.

When police arrived at McCollough's Fort Sanders apartment, where they saw a man with a bloody, swollen mouth and multiple broken and missing teeth.

The man told police he was drunk and said he was looking for a friend's apartment when he knocked on McCollough's unlocked door. He said he opened the door and started to walk in before he was confronted by McCollough.

The man said McCollough followed him outside and punched him. McCollough disputed the man's account.

Both McCollough and his roommate, Warren Burrell, testified McCollough backed the man out of the apartment and shut the door. The man became more aggressive and threatened to come back inside, and McCollough punched him, they said.

McCollough's attorney at the time, Chloe Akers, previously asserted his “complete innocence,” arguing that Tennessee allows the use of force against someone "who is unlawfully and forcibly entering a residence." McCollough currently is represented by Melissa DiRado.

If convicted, McCollough faces a sentence of 3 to 15 years.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com. Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter@AdamSparks.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee safety Jaylen McCollough faces February trial date