Tennessee’s coaching staff has to feel good about its two starting linebackers: Arion Carter and Keenan Pili. After that, things get a bit iffy.
“We feel pretty good about our depth overall,” UT linebacker coach William Inge said, ”If you understand the system, you make the plays you’re supposed to make at the point of attack and you know how to drive our defense, you’ll have an opportunity to play.
“What I would love to be able to do is to make sure we can play five (or) six players (at linebacker). That’s historically what I’ve been able to do is to make sure that, from a preparation standpoint, that a number of guys have been prepared and that a number of guys have played and they all have a specific role.”
That all sounds good, but do the Vols really have five or six linebackers they’d feel comfortable playing against a quality opponent? Probably not yet.
Sophomore Jeremiah Telander was listed as a co-starter with Pili. However, that seems like a kind gesture more than a true two-deep chart. Telander has improved, but Pili is the Vols’ starter throughout this season at middle linebacker as long as he is healthy.
At outside linebacker, the Vols have junior Kalib Perry listed as a co-starter alongside Carter. Again, that’s Carter’s job and another instance of gamesmanship by head coach Josh Heupel. Perry may be the first person off the bench if the Vols need another linebacker. However, freshman Edwin Spillman has turned enough heads to warrant playing time on Saturday and beyond.
“Edwin is definitely progressing very well,” Inge said. “He is someone when you talk about being able to stuff and stop the run that his body type fits exactly, just that he does not get moved when he’s in there. Fitting in as a player who’s learning and growing is great to see, (especially) the things that he does on special teams. So he is someone who has a great role in our room and it’s awesome to see him learning every day.
“It is actually special to see him coming on with his smile and he’s learning. And when you have Keenan Pili and Arion Carter putting you up under their wing, you can only go up. So it’s great seeing him continue to excel.”
Tennessee, by design, doesn’t hold the most physical practices. The Vols, under head coach Josh Heupel, would rather err on keeping players healthy as opposed to being the most physical team on the planet. That can lead to issues, such as poor tackling.
“That’s one question you really never know,” Inge said when asked if his group would be a good tackling team. “You don’t know that until you’re really actually on the battlefield doing it. The one thing that we do is we do practice our tackling often and all the time, but sometimes that’s the one question.”
Well, that’s not the only question. Depth must still be somewhat of a concern. It was last season when Pili went down in the Vols’ season-opening game last year. Fortunately for Inge, Pili is ready to go and has been for months.
“We anticipate someone is going to be very active, very aggressive and someone who is going to be running sideline to sideline, someone who will be making all kind of plays and everyone will know where No. 11 is on the football field,” Inge said when asked about Pili. “That’s kind of our vision that we want to create in him…He’s got the capabilities of being able to do that.
“It’s our responsibility to push him to where he can be one of the best linebackers in the country. He can be that and do that for sure.
Pili might end up becoming one of the best linebackers in the country. For now, the 26-year-old is at least one of the oldest linebackers in the country. That experience should serve the Vols well.
“He is kind of mature beyond his age or time, but we all know he’s a little more mature than everyone else,” Inge said, who must think of Pili as a senior citizen. “…To see his mindset, he knows he’s just ready to go play. The good thing about this is he’s had the opportunity and the exposure to be around a lot of good people, a lot of good coaches, a lot of good players. So he knows how to have himself ready and be prepared to do his job on game day.
“I just can’t wait to see him be able to go and apply it. That’s our responsibility as coaches, to see him to be able to go do that. He’s ready. His mindset is right and he knows he’s doing everything he can to help the rest of the guys around him to be even better.”
If only there were just two of him.
