While he could have petitioned to get one more year NCAA eligibility, former Tennessee Volunteers star Bru McCoy has decided to retire from playing football. His journey from being a star high school player coming out of Mater Dei in 2018 was every bit unorthodox. Whether it be getting redshirted, COVID, getting kicked off the USC Trojans or getting hurt, his career is over at the ripe old age of 24.
McCoy had been a big part of the Tennessee offense the last few years, but he has decided to call it a career. Had he been given one more year of eligibility, McCoy would have been 25 years old and seven years removed from his final season of high school football at Mater Dei. We may live in a strange time where eligibility is mostly a loose construct, but all good things must come to an end.
What stinks for Tennessee is this is the latest gut punch they have experienced this offseason. Much will be made about Nico Iamaleava's questionable decision to see what the NIL market could bear for him in the transfer portal. He goes to a far worse situation in UCLA, one where he will make far less money. All the while, we have to wonder if there is any hair atop the dome of head coach Josh Heupel.
McCoy did send out a heartfelt message to Vol Nation about his decision to medically retire from ball.
The chances of McCoy coming back were slim, but where does this leave the Vols going forward?
Bru McCoy retirement is latest bad event to happen to Tennessee Vols
Prior to Iamaleava spurning Tennessee for the transfer portal, I had the Vols in a cluster of teams with Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon and maybe even Arizona State as probable College Football Playoff teams. They are not quite locks in how I feel about Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas, but not that far off in my estimation. Right now, I do not think Tennessee makes it back this postseason.
Heupel has been a tremendous head coach for Tennessee. Tim Banks is one of the best defensive minds in college football. However, I often find myself wondering if the Tennessee offense will evolve from the Air Raid offshoot Heupel runs. Many of the best defenses in college football can solve that so-called Rubik's cube in a matter of minutes. Regardless, he does sign and develop his players well.
So with the Iamaleava and McCoy departures, among other things, I think this could be a challenging, but fruitful year for the Volunteers. The expectations should be lowered a bit, but Heupel has earned enough clout to navigate this, no matter how it all shakes out. I would say that McCoy not returning knocks the Vols down a slight peg, but Iamaleava transferring probably costs them two wins this fall.
If Tennessee were to win around nine or 10 games next year anyway, that would be worth celebrating.