If college football coaches could have made their players the fittest with a magic wand, how awesome would that have been? Right now, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Vols’ Josh Heupel are the men who need that superpower the most. As of this Saturday, No. 7 Alabama (5-1) and No. 11 Tennessee (5-1) have just emerged from thrilling wins that came after shocking defeats. It seems like an elimination-round playoff game. Therefore, losing a single player can be very costly for the team as a whole. However, who is participating this week, and who is not? Do you know anything about this? Let’s have a look at the injury report.

Ahead of Tennessee vs. Alabama’s game on October 19, Alabama beat journalist Nick Kelly shared a photo of an injury report on his X account. It doesn’t look good at all for Tide. Daniel Hill, the backup running back, was listed as injured in the report and would not participate in the game. Linebacker Cayden Jones was also declared ineligible for the contest. But, hold on! There was also a tiny beam of light. Defensive back, Keon Sabb was listed as probable for the contest. The list had one more twist.

After being listed as uncertain on Wednesday, linebacker Yhonzae Pierre—who was absent for the South Carolina game—was upgraded to probable. Overall, you can therefore be content with Alabama’s injury report because the remaining players will be able to handle it. However, the Vols injury report was uncertain and showed no changes from Thursday.

Vols’ defensive back Jourdan Thomas and Linebacker Edwin Spillman were ruled out of Saturday’s game due to their season-ending injury. In addition to them, Linebacker Keenan Pili was on the injury list and would not participate in the game. Last week, while playing against Florida, he got a season-ending ACL injury. Now, let’s see who is left to play in the Tennessee vs Alabama game.

Players that can make highlights in the Tennessee vs. Alabama game

The quarterback’s performance is the first that springs to mind when discussing highlights. Following Alabama’s victory against Georgia, Jalen Milroe’s Heisman Trophy betting odds skyrocketed, but he has since dropped in his previous two games. On the other hand, Vol’s QB, Nico Iamaleava, has only thrown for one touchdown in three SEC games and hasn’t eclipsed the 200-yard mark since Game 2.

Safe to say, Tennessee’s defense has excelled in 2024 under the direction of defensive coordinator Tim Banks. But an average Alabama offensive line should pose some challenges for Tennessee’s defensive line. As Tennessee will face its hardest test yet, against Ryan Williams, Milroe, and the rest of the Alabama offense.

As a result, both teams have enough skill to be serious competitors for the SEC and national titles. Therefore, winning on pick day will have a significant impact, but losing on Saturday will necessitate greatness for the remainder of the game. Let’s wait and watch.