Clemson vs. Tennessee: Injuries, opt-outs, transfer portal entries for Orange Bowl

The Clemson Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers will face off in the most orange Orange Bowl possible on Friday, December 30. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL, as two teams who were on the cusp of CFP eligibility take the field one last time in 2022.

The most notable absence from the bowl will be Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. In talks for the Heisman trophy this season, Hooker tore his ACL with just one week left in the season, effectively ending his Heisman campaign and Tennessee’s hopes for the CFP. The Vols will also be missing their top two receivers of 2022 in Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, both of whom are opting out and declaring for the NFL draft.

Clemson will also be without their starting quarterback, DJ Uiagalalei, who entered the transfer portal and landed at Oregon State. He was benched several times this season for freshman Cade Klubnik, who will be taking over the starting job on December 30. Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson have opted out to focus on the draft, but Bryan Bresee is still on track to play against UT.

Below is the full list of opt-outs and injuries for the Orange Bowl:

Tennessee

Injuries

Hendon Hooker, QB

Opt-outs

Jalin Hyatt, WR
Cedric Tillman, WR

Transfer portal entries

Lyn-J Dixon, RB
Nick Evers, QB
Jimmy Calloway, WR

Clemson

Injuries

Beaux Collins, WR

Opt-outs

Myles Murphy, DE

Transfer portal entries

D.J. Uiagalelei, QB
Decari Collins, WR
Sergio Allen, LB
Fred Davis II, DB
E.J. Williams, WR
Kobe Pace, RB
Vonta Bentley, LB