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Tennessee All-SEC receiver Cedric Tillman underwent “tightrope” surgery on his left ankle early last week with the hopes of not being out an extended period of time, sources told ESPN.

Tillman missed the Vols’ matchup against Florida this past weekend after suffering a high ankle sprain in the team’s 63-6 win over Akron in Week 3. He had 17 catches for 246 yards in his first three games.

The No. 8 Vols are off this week. They visit LSU on Oct. 8, and then host Alabama on Oct. 15.

Coach Josh Heupel was not asked specifically if Tillman had surgery when he spoke to the media Wednesday.

“Obviously, we’re a long way away from game time,” Heupel said of the fifth-year senior’s status for the LSU game. “We’re hopeful that he will continue to make progress and be available when we go down there.”

The tightrope surgery is the same procedure quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had twice while at Alabama. It uses a high strength suture (surgical thread) instead of traditional metal screws. Technically known as the Knotless Syndesmosis TightRope Implant System, the procedure is designed to accelerate recovery for high ankle sprains, particularly in athletes, and can decrease the chances of long-term damage that can occur with high ankle sprains.

Tagavailoa had the procedure on his left ankle in 2018 after being injured in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. He returned 28 days later to play in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma, passing for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-34 Alabama win.

In 2019, he injured his right ankle in a game against Tennessee, underwent the procedure and came back three weeks later to play against LSU, a game in which he passed for 418 yards and four touchdowns in a 46-41 loss.

Last season, Tillman became Tennessee’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Justin Hunter in 2012. He elected to return for a fifth season after considering a jump to the NFL.

Even without Tillman, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker passed for 349 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Florida.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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