Vols mum as Marquez North injury rumors swirl

Tennessee’s offense may have lost one of its more significant and talented pieces to a serious injury. Or said playmaker may have just been dinged. Or nobody knows. One of the three.

Warning flares went up all around Rocky Top overnight when the Knoxville FOXSports radio affiliate reported on its website that Marquez North “has suffered a serious leg injury and it is feared to be season ending.” In an update, the station added that “North went down with a serious, non-contact injury to his leg [during practice] and could not put any weight on it” and an “MRI is scheduled for Thursday” to determine the extent of the injury.

The Vols have yet to address what if any injury issue North is facing, adding to the speculation. Further adding to that speculation? Practice has reportedly been cancelled for this morning, meaning media members won’t be able to ask head coach Butch Jones about North’s status until later on tonight.

Some members of the media, though, are attempting to tap the brakes on the seriousness of whatever injury North sustained.

Heard the North stuff is not that serious. We'll see.

— Brent Dougherty (@brentdougherty) August 13, 2015

#Vols WR Marquez North dealing with injury he suffered yesterday. Is it serious? "UT is not sure," @JimmyHyams said on WNML Radio.

— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) August 13, 2015

And then there’s this, from RockyTopInsider.com:

Here’s what we’ve been told via a source: North did, indeed, sustain an injury early during practice on Wednesday. After the injury, North spent the rest of Wednesday’s session on the training table observing practice, but was not in any noticeable pain. The injury continues to be evaluated and the severity of the injury is unknown at this time. We can confirm that much, but anything else at this point is speculation.

One of the most physically-gifted receivers in the SEC, the 6-3, 229-pound North has failed in the eyes of some to live up to the billing his four-star pedigree portended, though health issues have certainly played a role in that perception Last season, a shoulder injury knocked him out of the final three games of the season and limited him for the two prior to that. Coincidentally or not, the Vols went 4-1 in those five games, although the emergence of Josh Dobbs as the starting quarterback likely had as much to do with that run than anything.

Despite that missed playing time, North was still third on the team with 30 receptions and 320 receiving yards, and tied for second with four receiving touchdowns, one year after leading the team in receiving as a true freshman. He was one of several players limited during spring practice earlier this year.