It had been a long road for Tennessee’s Bru McCoy, but he made the best of it on Senior Day.
After his 2023 season ended with a gruesome injury, the Tennessee wide receiver battled back through a lengthy recovery and capped his return with a pair of touchdowns in Saturday’s 56-0 win over UTEP.
“It was really cool, and it was really special for me,” McCoy said. “I promised my mom I would get in the end zone, so I had to make sure she saw. It was awesome.”
For McCoy, the comeback from the fractured dislocation of his right ankle during last season’s South Carolina game hasn’t been smooth. Saturday was the first touchdown of the season for McCoy.
“He’s just been a little bit off on some opportunities, quarterback and him,” Tennessee Head Coac Josh Heupel said. “That was great to see him get those opportunities and take advantage of it. Special to see him finish it out that way today on Senior Day. He meant so much to us and to this program and to me.”
McCoy, however, kept the faith throughout the season for not only a touchdown but to also help his team succeed.
“I’m an older guy, so I have the responsibility to not let that become a part of what I think about when I go on the field,” McCoy said. “If that becomes a part of the way I think, then it becomes a part of the way the room thinks. That’s not going to help us win games. Ultimately, you just have to have faith that there is timing for when things are supposed to happen that you want to happen. You just stay in it and keep your faith high, and good things will happen.”
However, McCoy’s impact off the field has been invaluable to a Volunteer squad fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“Bru is one of the greatest team guys I’ve ever been around,” Heupel said. “Will do anything for anyone, will play without the ball in his hands as hard as anybody I’ve been around, and takes great pride in that. There’s been some opportunities and just hadn’t connected on it. You watch him after one of those plays, and he resets the next play as well as anybody. Today, it was cool just to see him connect and go finish on a couple of big plays. I’m really excited for him and his family.”
