For a head coach whose seat is varying degrees of warmth depending on the time of day and the pundit pondering his future at Tennessee, that headline would prove to be a godsend.
For opposing SEC defenses? Not so much.
One of the most talented -- and unheralded -- wide receivers in the country, Justin Hunter tore the ACL in his left knee during a September loss to Florida last year, ending the sophomore’s season before it ever really got started. While it was expected Hunter would make a full recovery in time for the 2012 season, one can never tell with this type of injury.
At least as far as one of the receiver’s teammates is concerned, however, he can tell exactly where Hunter is in the recovery process.
“Right now, I’d say that Justin is 100 percent,” cornerback Prentiss Waggner, who has been manning up against Hunter in offseason seven-on-seven drills, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “He’s got his weight up and he’s doing 225 (pounds) multiple times (in the bench press). He thinks he’s unstoppable.
“And he’s got a pretty good argument.”
Despite playing in less than three full games in 2011, Hunter still finished third on the Vols in receiving yards (314) and receiving touchdowns (two).