Al Wilson may be the most beloved player in Tennessee football history. However, the Vols in recent years haven’t dominated the headlines with linebackers the way they used to. Their most recent All-American linebacker was Kevin Burnett, although Jerod Mayo and Jalen Reeves-Maybin have made headlines with Pro Bowl NFL careers since then.
Arion Carter, however, may be in line to restore that tradition in a big way. Bruce Feldman’s annual list of “freaks” in The Athletic came out Tuesday, and Carter was on it. Not only was he on it, but he came in at No. 12. For context, James Pearce Jr. was No. 17 on the list last year, and Pearce was considered a potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick at the time.
Simply put, Carter’s raw athletic ability is now impossible to ignore. At 6’1″ 235 pounds, he reportedly has a 40.3-inch vertical, hit 21.2 miles per hour on GPS and bench pressed 325 pounds. His 40-time has clocked in as low as 4.57. The guy has incredible raw, athletic talent for a linebacker.
How does that all translate to production, though?
Well, last year, Carter had seven tackles for a loss, an interception, six pass breakups and 68 tackles, 29 of which were solo. That was his first year starting, and he was still raw in coverage. He also had to play opposite a linebacker in Keenan Pili who was never 100 percent and then, after Pili went down, a linebacker in Jeremiah Telander who wasn’t ready for the job.
Now, Carter should be much more experienced playing in coverage, completing his game, and Telander’s experience should allow him to man the other spot, making Carter’s job easier. When you take those two things into account, All-American potential oozes with Carter.
In fact, he could etch his name into the Tennessee football history books as a legend.
We already know Carter is an elite leader, being invited to SEC Media Days as a junior. He’s also an in-state guy, hailing from Smyrna, Tenn., who chose the Vols after Nick Saban did everything he could to get him to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Should those two things complement his play, he could enter a very select group of former UT players.
As far as his play goes, there are a couple of drawbacks. Jermod McCoy’s injury could make things more difficult in coverage for everybody, including him, the first part of the year. Meanwhile, they do have to replace Pearce and three other interior defensive linemen.
Still, the Vols have a collection of other players up front who could fill that void. They have options to replace Pearce, and most importantly, the secondary should still be serviceable with the addition of Colton Hood and Rickey Gibson III’s improvement. By the time McCoy returns, they’ll even be better.
Add in all the improvements working to his advantage, and his production should surge. Tim Banks will likely use him more in complex blitz packages and disguised coverages that he wasn’t ready for last year either, and that will open up more opportunities for him to make big plays.
Taking all of this into account, don’t forget if Carter joins the ranks of Wilson, Reggie White, Doug Atkins and other generational Tennessee football defenders when it’s all said and done. His potential is through the roof, and he has the necessary character to make sure he lives up to all of it.
