If Tennessee doesn’t win a national championship this season, the Florida game may have once again done the Vols in.
No, the Gators didn’t beat Tennessee in October, but the Vols lost one of their best and most important players in their 23-13 win that day. In one of the ultimate Tennessee gut punches in recent memory, linebacker Keenan Pili was lost for the season when he suffered a torn ACL.
Pili, who suffered a season-ending triceps injury during the Vols’ season-opener in 2023, wasn’t just good; he was arguably great. The transfer from BYU was fiery, physical and fantastic as the Vols’ defensive quarterback.
Tennessee’s defense was considered elite early this season, especially after the Vols shut down Oklahoma to save that game and almost did enough to avoid the damaging loss to Arkansas. Tennessee’s defense may still be elite, but the Vols are not nearly as good without Pili.
Tennessee quickly turned to sophomore Jeremiah Telander when Pili went down. Telander may end up being great, but he’s not there yet. Telander has just one tackle for a loss this season. Pili would have easily topped that.
Before going down, Pili had 1.5 tackles for a loss, but his impact was greater than a stat sheet can measure. Pili, who is a senior and now out of college eligibility, made sure that the Vols were properly aligned, which isn’t easy considering how multiple Tennessee is up front.
UT defensive coordinator Tim Banks loves to use an abundance of twists, stunts and blitzes to keep an offense on its toes – or its back. That’s a lot to ask out Telander. However, he has has more issues than just getting the Vols lined up. Telander also has trouble all on his own.
The standout high school player from Gainesville, Ga. is often out of position. When Pili was manning the middle linebacker spot, there was an obvious, dominating presence at the heart of the Vols’ defense. With Telander, there seems to be a vacant hole in the middle of Tennessee’s defense far too often. However, all is not lost.
Telander, when he’s in the right place, has a nose for the football with three fumble recoveries this season. He’s physical and fast, much like Pili, but just not as experienced. That gets Telander out of position far too often. Then, there’s another reason for optimism. Maybe even two.
Telander’s father is a college football coach with stops at Missouri, Bowling Green, UTEP and UMass. That means his son should have a sound knowledge of the game, which will lead to massive improvement.
Yes, Telander is only going to get better, but the question is when? Perhaps he can benefit from some extra practice time since the Vols don’t play this week with the SEC Championship Game coming up. He’d better.
Telander could end up being an All-SEC linebacker one day, maybe even next year. But he’s certainly not there yet and, if he doesn’t improve, there’s no way Tennessee will win a national championship this season.
Whether or not it was former coach Steve Spurrier’s play-calling or the Gators’ dominating defense, Florida seemed to always end the Vols’ championship hopes in the 1990’s and early 2000’s when the two teams battled for supremacy in the SEC East.
Losing Pili in the Florida game was painful in its own right. It would also be incredibly hurtful if Tennessee can’t pull off a natty because of his absence due to the Gators.
