Life is easier for Brian Jean-Mary these days.
Tennessee’s linebackers coach dealt with some challenges the last two years.
In 2021, he coached Tennessee’s thinnest position on the roster.
Last year’s group of linebackers had a little more depth… but more headaches to go with it.
Now, Jean-Mary is coaching Tennessee’s most improved position group.
Why is Tennessee’s linebacker position in such better shape? Let’s take a look.
Maturity
Jeremy Banks and Juwan Mitchell are two of the linebackers Tennessee had to replace after last season.
Banks was a good player for Tennessee.
He gave his all every time he stepped on the field, and he deserves credit for coming back from an off-field incident that left him off the team in 2019.
But Banks wasn’t the most reliable player away from the field.
Neither was Mitchell, who transferred after last season to Arizona State.
Mitchell was reportedly dismissed from the Sun Devils team last weekend.
So why should Jean-Mary be happier now?
Keenan Pili.
The BYU transfer might be Tennessee’s most reliable player on the team.
A two-time captain at BYU, Pili is a 25-year-old married man.
Pili has played a lot of football and presents another pass-rush option for Tennessee’s defense.
“He’s a bigger guy but he’s super athletic,” Jean-Mary said of Pili. “We don’t mind putting him in space, blitzing him, putting him in coverage.”
Pili continues to learn Tennessee’s defense.
But the Vols won’t have to worry about him being ready on Sept. 2.
Ask people behind the scenes about Pili and they’ll rave about what he brings to Tennessee’s program.
And his arrival has created excitement about the guy he’ll team up with at linebacker.
Aaron Beasley
Beasley was one of Tennessee’s most improved players in 2022.
He’s turned into one of the Vols’ best defenders.
Beasley’s Orange Bowl performance against Clemson was MVP-worthy.
He finished the game with 12 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss — a Tennessee bowl record in TFLs.
That showing previewed what Beasley can do in 2023.
Beasley played both inside and outside at linebacker last season.
Watch plays from late last season and it’s obvious Beasley’s understanding of the game has made a big jump from when he moved to linebacker early during his Tennessee career.
The combination of Beasley and Pili will give Jean-Mary a lot more confidence in his group – because of their accountability and versatility.
But if one of the starters goes down, there’s more help available.
Improved Depth
Depth can sometimes refer to different things.
It can mean total players available. Or it can mean talent.
In this case, Tennessee has both at linebacker.
Sophomores Elijah Herring and Kalib Perry return with experience as backups.
Herring had a few “wow” plays with the way he flew around in reserve duty last season.
And Tennessee’s freshman trio has created a buzz during the offseason.
Arion Carter, who chose Tennessee over Alabama, looks like a future star in the SEC.
In the spring, he looked like a player who had been on campus for multiple years instead of a few weeks.
Jeremiah Telander is another player who could help the Vols this season. And Jalen Smith has SEC speed.
Tennessee’s young linebackers have to prove what they can do in an SEC game.
Jean-Mary talked about their ability to make plays in one moment and mistakes in another.
But there’s no question about the unit’s potential.
Tennessee finally has a room full of linebackers that Jean-Mary can count on.
“Every coach, I think, if you asked them what would be their No. 1 goal, it would be to have quality depth,” Jean-Mary said.
He believes the Vols have it.
“We’re going to be able to play multiple guys,” Jean-Mary said. “We feel like we’re going to get them to play at a high level. I think we’re getting to the point where we can be a third- or fourth- or even fifth-team deep at linebacker. That’s going to be a blessing.”
That will make any coach happy.
