There’s no arguing that Tennessee Football is a lesser team without linebacker Keenan Pili than they were with him. He was set to be one of the Vols’ top defenders before suffering the latest of a duo of significant injuries. However, Pili being sidelined could hasten the ascension of a player that many believe is a rising star.
Tennessee has made a habit out of surviving in recruiting by offering early scholarships and properly evaluating talent that wasn’t quite up to snuff for college football’s elite. That certainly wasn’t the case with freshman linebacker Arion Carter.
Carter, the former four-star prospect from Smyrna (Tenn.), chose the Vols over heavyweight schools like Alabama and Ohio State. Now, with Pili’s absence, the world will be able to see what those talent scouts saw on high highlight reel.
There has been no announcement that Carter will start against Austin Peay when the Vols hold their home opener in Neyland Stadium. However, there’s every reason to believe he’ll eventually gobble up a lot of the snaps opened up by Pili’s absence, even if he doesn’t play the same exact position as Pili, middle linebacker.
Tennessee Football could move outside linebacker Aaron Beasley back to the middle, where he played last season, albeit a bit out of position. That would open up a spot for Carter or sophomore Elijah Herring on the outside. There’s also a chance that either could play middle linebacker and leave Beasley at weakside linebacker, which is his more natural position. Either way, the Vols are going to have to play Carter more and that will likely only hasten his exposure and development.
The Vols haven’t had a standout freshman in quite sometime, by national standards at least. The last time Tennessee produced a freshman All-American was in 2019 when the Vols had four players earn the honor: running back Eric Gray, defensive back Jaylen McCollough, offensive tackle Wanna Morris and linebacker Henry To’o To’o. All of those players were early standouts for former Vol coach Jeremy Pruitt, but none panned out – as a Vol at least. The quatro all transferred as Tennessee Football continued to meander in the wilderness of bad football.
That won’t be the case with Carter, barring something incredibly unforeseen. All indications are that Carter will be a superstar at Tennessee and play at least three seasons at a high level. That may well start on Saturday. Tennessee’s coaches have had nothing but good things to say about Carter, who just looks a bit different than other linebackers, and he had four tackles in his Vol debut, which isn’t too shabby.
The mere fact that the discussion can be had that Tennessee can move on without Pili is newsworthy in and of itself. The Vols couldn’t have overcome such a loss just a couple of years ago when Tennessee coach Josh Heupel began his first season as the Vols’ head coach in 2021. Had the Vols lost a key player like Pili or All-Sec center Cooper Mays, who is also sidelined with an injury, they would have been severely hampered. That isn’t the case any longer. Ollie Lane was proof of that last week.
Lane, the senior center who started in place of Mays against Virginia, is another piece of solid evidence that the Vols can build depth. However, Lane’s story is far different than Carter. Lane is proof that the Vols can develop players throughout their career. Lane had played sparingly throughout his career, but it didn’t look like that against the Cavaliers.
Lane played 48 snaps against Virginia and didn’t commit a penalty nor did he allow a quarterback pressure. Moreover, while handling the Vols’ line calls and opposing defensive tackles, Tennessee averaged 5.5-yards per carry.
There’s no question that the Tennessee Football coaches would prefer to bring Carter along a bit slower and have Pili in the lineup. However, the Vols are forced to play the hand they’ve been dealt. By many indications, Tennessee drew an ace.
