Tennessee Vols: Todd Kelly Jr Expected To Return In 2018
By Zach Ragan
The Tennessee Vols, in a bit a of a rarity, received some good news on Wednesday.
Tennessee Vols interim head coach Brady Hoke told the media on Wednesday that senior defensive back Todd Kelly Jr is planning to come back in 2018.
Kelly, who will have to seek a medical hardship waiver, played in only two games this season before Butch Jones announced that he would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The Knoxville native had seven tackles in two games this season.
Kelly played in 38 games during his first three seasons on Rocky Top, compiling 150 tackles and eight interceptions.
Getting Kelly back in 2018, if he’s healthy, will be huge for the Vols. He’ll provide a much needed veteran presence in the secondary, which will be very important with a new coaching staff coming in next season.
Kelly meets all the requirements to receive a medical hardship waiver. He only played in two games (16 percent of Tennessee’s games) and he suffered a season ending injury. The rule stipulates that a player cannot participate in more than three games or 30 percent of a team’s games (whichever is greater). The player also has to be within their first four years of eligibility and the season ending injury had to occur before the start of the second half of the season.
As we mentioned, Kelly meets all these requirements.
Kelly has been an important leader for the Volunteers during his time on Rocky Top. His leadership through this coaching staff transition will be of huge importance to the program.