Now that the attempted armed robbery charges against Tennessee safety Janzen Jackson have been dismissed, the next step is when he returns to the field.

Don't be surprised if it's this Saturday against Kentucky.

Jackson, one of the Vols' best defenders, has already missed two games since his arrest on Nov. 12. He also missed the game prior to his arrest (Memphis) for a separate suspension.

The decision on Jackson's playing status this weekend will ultimately be left up to Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, who obviously consults with the university president on these issues.

But there's a big push from the coaching staff to get Jackson back on the field immediately. In fact, there was some hope that the charges were going to be dropped the day before the Ole Miss game on Nov. 14, and the plan then was to play him.

At the end of the day, the district attorney in this case didn't think there was enough evidence to tie Jackson to the attempted robbery. His attorney said Jackson never had any idea an attempted robbery was going to take place and just happened to be in the car when it occurred.

Jackson's two former teammates, Mike Edwards and Nu'Keese Richardson, are still facing charges. They were dismissed from the team last week by Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin.