It’s questionable whether Dont’e Thornton will return for Tennessee football’s first-round College Football Playoff game due to a lower-body injury.

The senior wide receiver headed to the locker room during the second quarter of the No. 9 seed Vols’ matchup against No. 8 seed Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Thornton had one catch for 14 yards before leaving the game.

Junior wide receiver Squirrel White also left the game in the second quarter with a lower-body injury. His return is also questionable, as is star Vols running back Dylan Sampson.

Thornton was one of three Tennessee wide receivers who wore non-contact red jerseys during CFP practice while recovering from injuries that kept them out of the Vanderbilt game on Nov. 30.

Four Tennessee wide receivers have entered the portal, including Chaz Nimrod and Kaleb Webb. Both were backup players for the Vols and Nimrod likely would have played in White or Thornton’s place. Nathan Leacock and Nate Spillman also entered the portal.

The four departures halved the group of Vols receivers from 10 scholarship players during the regular season to six in the postseason. Sophomore Chris Brazzell, freshman Mike Matthews and freshman Braylon Staley round out the group.

This story will be updated.

Cora Hall covers women’s athletics at the University of Tennessee. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you like Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription to access everything.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dont’e Thornton injury update: Tennessee WR leaves game against Ohio State