Tennessee will have to move forward this season without one of its best defensive players and best leaders as head coach Josh Heupel announced that middle linebacker Keenan Pili will be out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury that will end his college career.
Pili has no eligibility remaining since he applied for and received a seventh year by the NCAA due to previous injuries that have plagued his career.
“Keenan has an ACL injury and will be done for the season,” Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “He’s a great leader who will continue to lead inside our building. We are heartbroken for him and his family. He’s a guy who does absolutely everything right. He’s a special player and a special person too. He has a great future.”
Pili left the Florida game early in the first quarter. He was replaced by sophomore Jeremiah Telander, who has played extensively this season. However, Pili will be tough to replace.
Heading into the Florida game, Pili was Tennessee’s leading tackle through the Vols’ first five games with 28 total tackles. He also had 1 1/2-tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits before the injury.
“I’m not sure there’s a better representative of what a Volunteer is than Keenan Pili,” Heupel said Saturday night. “You talk about a selfless guy that cares about the people around him way more than he cares about himself.”
“That’s an elite competitor, great leader, tough as nails, athletic, explosive, everything that you want. Just he’s a dude, man. Special dude.”
The Vols were forced to play without Pili for almost the entire season in 2023 when he went out in the season-opening game with a triceps injury. Pili also missed nearly an entire season in 2021 when he suffered a knee injury while playing at BYU. Pili transferred to Tennessee before the 2023 season.
