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Tennessee Football: How will Vols replace Emmit Gooden?

ByJake Mitchell|
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Brian Robinson Jr. #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide is tackled by Defensive lineman Emmit Gooden #93 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Linebacker Daniel Bituli #35 of the Tennessee Volunteers, and Linebacker Matt Ballard of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Brian Robinson Jr. #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide is tackled by Defensive lineman Emmit Gooden #93 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Linebacker Daniel Bituli #35 of the Tennessee Volunteers, and Linebacker Matt Ballard of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)

Jeremy Pruitt announced that Emmit Gooden would miss the 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL. How will Tennessee football replace him?

The Volunteers suffered a massive blow on Tuesday. Senior nose tackle Emmit Gooden was confirmed to have suffered a torn ACL. He’ll have surgery to repair the injury next week, according to Pruitt.

Gooden initially made his name on the Netflix series Last Chance U. He’s also an anchor for Pruitt’s young rebuild in Knoxville, as he was part of Pruitt’s initial recruiting class in 2018.

Replacing Gooden, both in leadership and production, will be a tall task. Gooden was the lone upperclassman up front, so now the line will be manned entirely by freshmen and sophomores.

In terms of production, Gooden racked up 33 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He saw significant snaps in the rotation, and was set to be the only Volunteer to possess any real experience.

With the news of Gooden’s injury, the attention for the Volunteers now turns to the Aubrey Solomon ruling from the NCAA. While, there is young talent on the defensive line, the unit desperately needs a veteran presence. Solomon was a five star recruit at Michigan, but injuries marred his time in Ann Arbor.

Whether or not Solomon does get to play, young linemen are going to get experience in the rotation now. Kingston Harris, Dawson Stephens and Greg Emerson will all see significant playing time in 2019.

While Tennessee will have to replace Gooden in 2019, he will be available again in 2020. He was set to enter his senior season, but he still has his redshirt season.

This is a bit of silver lining for Gooden. It’s unfortunate that Gooden will miss the 2019 season, but at least he’ll get another shot in 2020.  However, considering Tennessee’s rebuilding status, Gooden’s final season being delayed could mean the difference between being on a seven-win team to close out his college career, or finishing on a nine or ten-win team and seeing a New Year’s Six bowl.

In the long term, this could be a net positive in Knoxville. Several young players will get significant snaps in 2019, and a returning Gooden will pair with a group of newly seasoned players. As the rest of the program improves at a similar trajectory, Gooden’s injury delaying his final year until 2020 could mean he gets to be a part of a very special season in Knoxville.

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