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Tennessee Football: Losing Emmit Gooden kills the defense

By Colton Pickard

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) /
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Losing a player like Emmit Gooden on defense hurts the Vols in more than one way and is a tough way to start the 2019 season.

On Wednesday morning reports confirmed that Tennessee defensive lineman Emmit Gooden did tear his ACL in practice on Tuesday.

The original reports that came out on Tuesday evening were mixed and had Vol fans all across the board when it came to expectations.

Unfortunately, the negative reports were true in this case as Gooden did indeed tear his ACL and will miss all of the 2019 season. This loss is a killer for Tennessee as they are loading up with a mixture of young talent as they look to move in the right direction.

Tennessee has had a problem over the years with keeping players healthy throughout the season, and although this situation is a bit different than others, this could also fall under that category.

The loss of Gooden hurts the Vols in more than one way, though. Not only does it hurt their depth, but it also means the Vols won’t have Gooden’s presence on the field all year.

It’s always an extremely unfortunate matter when a player has to sit out a full season, but it’s even worse when that player is a senior. I don’t know if Gooden will be NFL ready come draft time next year so there is a chance we could see him again next year.

There’s really only one way we could see Gooden back in orange again next year, and that’s with a medical redshirt. He should be able to get one if he wants to return, which might be the only good news coming out of this.

I hate it for the guy because he’s one of those rare players who works his butt off with everything he does in the weight room and on the field. But things like this happen to some of the best people only to make him better.

And Gooden reiterated that on his Twitter saying he’ll be back. Unfortunately, it won’t be soon, but I hope to see him back in a Tennessee uniform next year.

Next. Marquez Callaway becoming a leader in Vols locker room. dark

I wish the young man all the best throughout his recovery process, and for the defense, it’s the next man up, and it’s time for someone else to make a name for themselves.

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