We've all seen Tennessee's secondary struggle this season. The Vols coughed up 453 yards passing against Florida. They rank dead last in the SEC in passing defense, giving up almost 310 yards per game through the air.

To pile onto those unfortunate facts, the defensive back unit took a big hit this week with the announcement that starting cornerback Warren Burrell underwent surgery and will be lost to injury for the rest of the season.

But, help may be on the way…

Junior college transfer cornerback Dee Williams has been injured since preseason practice. He missed the first four games of the season but he will finally be available to play when the Vols take on LSU on Saturday.

Burrell had already missed multiple games when the news of his season-ending injury emerged this week and sophomore Christian Charles played in his absence against Florida. Charles was serviceable but clearly inexperienced.

Williams was one of the top defensive junior college transfers last year. During the 2021 season, he racked up an impressive 7 interceptions and 14 pass breakups for East Central Community College. So, could his experience and skill bring a much-needed new weapon to Tennessee's strained secondary? UT head coach Josh Heupel seems to think so.

During a press conference on Thursday, Heupel talked about how Williams might contribute in Baton Rouge on Saturday…

“We’ve kind of continued to build him up in what we’re doing since the start of the season. … Felt like he had an opportunity to play last week. Felt like one more week of preparation was probably needed for him. He’s excited. He’s looked really good and will be a huge part of the game for us.”

Those are encouraging words for a player that could help the Vols immensely if he's able to play well. We don't know if Williams will be starting over Charles or how much he'll really play, but let's hope he makes the best of whatever playing time he ultimately gets.

Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK