Name a Tennessee linebacker. Any linebacker. Chances are Aaron Beasley isn’t the first name that comes to mind. He should.
The senior linebacker from Franklin, Ga., is UT’s leading tackler and the second-best tackler in the SEC with 22 takedowns. Yet no one has been talking about him. The questions about Tennessee’s linebackers tend to revolve around what’s wrong with them, not what’s right. Beasley is what’s right.
Put the ongoing Juwan Mitchell situation out of your head. He’s still sidelined with an undisclosed issue. Forget about Jeremy Banks. The preseason All-SEC linebacker hasn’t played great to this point, but that could change at any moment, perhaps against Akron on Saturday. For now, Beasley is the linebacker that should snag headlines considering he’s snagging ball carriers at a league-leading rate.
Why has Beasley been so productive?
“Last year was really my first year getting my feet wet at the linebacker position,” said Beasley, who played defensive back in high school. “I feel like that played a big part. Having that experience and feeling more comfortable out there and having that confidence in my ability to play.”
While Tennessee fans and the national media were focused on the Vols’ potent offense last season, Beasley was refining his craft at middle linebacker. Beasley played in all 13 games last season and started 11 times for the Vols in 2021. His 84 tackles last season were second-best on the team. Beasley also chipped in seven-and-a-half tackles for a loss.
Beasley now knows Tennessee’s defensive system, which allows him to play faster. He also is different physically after a full year in Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s system. That wasn’t the case in 2021.
“He’s got a much better understanding,” Heupel said on Monday. “His eyes are in the right spot, so his keys at that position are taking him to the right gap to make the plays.
“He trusts what he’s seeing so…you’re seeing him play extremely fast once he identifies it. You put all of those things together, that’s why he’s showing up the way that he did.”
Beasley has had more of an impact that his stat line would indicate. Heupel made sure to point that out during his weekly press conference on Monday. Beasley was a key factor in the play that resulted in an interception by Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers in the back of the end zone against Pittsburgh.
“He’s screaming downhill and applying pressure to the quarterback,” Heupel said. “He showed up a bunch during the course of the ball game.”
Showing up a bunch? That’s Beasley. We’ll see if Tennessee’s other linebackers follow suit.
