After an Achilles tear cost him the entire 2010 season, and then another one in February to his other leg cast doubt on his football future, Ben Martin returned to start the first two games of the 2011 season for Tennessee.
Unfortunately for the defensive lineman, the injury bug has bitten him yet again.
Martin suffered a sprained ankle in the Vols’ win over Cincinnati this past weekend, and his status for the upcoming game against Florida is very much up in the air.
“Ben’s still struggling,” head coach Derek Dooley said Wednesday. “I don’t know how much we’re going to get out of him.”
To further buttress the notion that Martin likely won’t be available, he didn’t participate in the open period of practice Thursday.
Redshirt sophomore Marlon Walls is listed behind Martin on UT’s depth chart.