Injuries decimated Tennessee down the stretch in 2016 when they lost four games over the final two months of the season including a 45-34 loss to intrastate rival Vanderbilt to close the regular season. That bug has lingered.
Junior right tackle Chance Hall will miss the season with a knee injury, coach Butch Jones confirmed Friday night.
"He's going to have surgery and he'll have a redshirt year," Jones said. "He'll come back and he'll be stronger than ever for it, but he'll be out."
Jones said Tuesday that the 6-foot-4, 315 pounder from Roanoke, Virginia, is reported with the team last week after seeking a second opinion on the injury.
Hall battled through injuries to start 13 games over the last two seasons at right tackle, including six in 2016. He had arthroscopic surgery last August, which forced him to sit for the first three games. He played the next six before the same knee forced him out for the rest of the year and limited him this spring.
He was a member of the SEC's All-Freshman team in 2015, as well as a true freshman All-American, according to 247Sports.
Hall is technically a returning starter, but he would have been battling for his old job back during fall camp. Brett Kendrick can play both tackle spots, Drew Richmond is a former hot shot prospect who saw time as a freshman a year ago and five-star tackle Trey Smith was the centerpiece of the Vols' most recent recruiting class.
Tennessee opens the 2017 season on Labor Day night, Sept. 4 against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
