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Andrej Karic reportedly receives answer from NCAA on eligibility waiver
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Andrej Karic, Tennessee’s starting left guard and one of the top offensive linemen in the SEC, has learned that his request for a medical waiver for the 2025 season has been denied, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks.
Karic played 26 games at Texas from 2020-2022 before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2023 season. At Texas, he saw action in 3 games in 2020 — including a first career start in the Alamo Bowl — while notching 11 appearances and a start in 2021 and playing in 12 more games (3 starting at tight end) in 2022.
In his first season with the Volunteers, he played in 5 games, including the first 4 starting at left guard, but missed much of the season due to a lower body injury. In 2024, he enjoyed his most successful season to date, starting in every game.
The Southlake, Tex., native had hoped to get a medical waiver to account for the time he missed in 2023. He suffered a season-ending injury just a few snaps into his 5th game of that campaign. However, the NCAA ruled against him in that matter, meaning he will not return to the Vols.
It’s a big blow to the Vols’ front five, who hoped to have one of their top offensive linemen back in the fold for one more year as they looked to build on a first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
