Tennessee will be down at least one key playmaker in its Orange Bowl matchup with Clemson in the coming weeks.

Senior wide receiver Cedric Tillman, who missed six games this season with an ankle injury, announced via his Twitter account that he will miss the Vols' bowl game and focus on the 2023 NFL Draft.

Tillman was an All-SEC selection in 2021 and was expected to be a key piece of Tennessee's offense as a senior this past season. An ankle injury sustained in the Vols' second game against Akron hindered much of his final campaign.

Tillman underwent tight rope surgery in hopes of a fast recovery, and after missing games against Florida, LSU, Alabama and UT Martin returned to the field for the Kentucky game on Oct. 29.

He played against Georgia the following week and again versus South Carolina in the second-to-last game of the season but sat out contests against Missouri and the regular season finale at Vanderbilt.

On the season, Tillman caught 37 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns. His most memorable play was catching Hendon Hooker's go-ahead touchdown pass in overtime to beat Pittsburgh, 34-27, in overtime.

Tillman was a two-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas when he signed with former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt's 2018 class.

After playing sparingly in his first three seasons, Tillman had a breakout year last season with 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.

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