He made a big impact on Saturday night.
We didn’t exactly know what to expect from the Tennessee secondary this season, but we did feel good about at least one spot. Jermod McCoy joined the Volunteers this offseason, coming over from Oregon State after a brilliant true freshman season. Now just a sophomore, it was quickly apparent that he was going to lead this cornerback group, and on Saturday night he showed why.
McCoy helped Tennessee shut down the Oklahoma passing attack, which eventually led to the Sooners placing five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold on the bench. McCoy was a menace for Arnold, making a few impact plays to force Oklahoma off the field in the first half.
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy vs Oklahoma:
48 Coverage Snaps
0 Catches Allowed (4 Targets)
1 INT | 1 PBU
0.0 Passer Rating Allowed@Vol_Football pic.twitter.com/hLgc4SS03Q— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 22, 2024
One of those plays was McCoy baiting Arnold into an interception. He had underneath responsibility, but quickly sunk back to cover the crossing route. Arnold never saw him and McCoy made him pay.
Jermod McCoy last night had 48 coverage snaps, 0 catches allowed, 1 INT, 1 PBU, and a 0.0 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/RKB2DYo67c
— Kerry Williams (@kerrywilliams_) September 22, 2024
“He never played defense,” Tennessee defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said before the season. “I mean, he was an athletic kid in high school and was obviously recruited to the school that he chose to be a wide receiver and they actually made a flip and asked him to go play defense.
“He did a great job, obviously (the Pac-12) was loaded with great players and quarterbacks and receivers that he went up against. We saw the athleticism. That’s the one thing that you saw that he can do a lot of things.”
Tennessee had an obvious need, and McCoy saw the opportunity. The former three-star prospect jumped at the chance and has now become an impact player for the Volunteers. We knew Tennessee had a big time defensive front, but the backend remained a question. Quite honestly it’s still a bit of a question with how poorly Grayson McCall and Jackson Arnold played against Tennessee, but so far, so good. An elite pass rush certainly doesn’t hurt.
McCoy and the Tennessee secondary’s next text will come against Tayven Green and Arkansas next week. Green has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards so far, but he has also tossed four interceptions. An opportunistic and aggressive Tennessee defense awaits Green following his trip to Dallas this weekend to face Texas A&M.