'It was fully ruptured' – Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter reveals what he was really dealing with last season

Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter played through a tough injury last season, which led to him coming back to Rocky Top in 2026.

Tennessee Vols linebacker Arion Carter initially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft before deciding to return to Rocky Top for his senior season.

Carter withdrew from the draft after learning that he needed surgery for the turf toe injury that impacted him throughout the 2025 season.

The recovery time for the surgery was 3-6 months, which was going to prevent Carter from fully going through the pre-draft process.

Carter played in 10 games for the Vols last season while dealing with turf toe in both toes.

It was no secret that Carter was playing through an injury, but we didn’t know just how bad it was until this week.

Carter told WNML on Monday at SEC Media Days in Tampa that his MTP joint and plantar plate were fully ruptured last season.

“I felt like I was playing around like 70 or 65 percent,” said Carter. “I didn’t really feel like me. I want to be an orthopedic surgeon, so I’m very fascinated with the anatomy and physiology of the body. I’m a public health major, so I understood with your MTP joint, which is your part of your big toe, that is responsible for 80 percent of your push-off power. And I fully ruptured my MTP joint and my plantar plate.

“So I couldn’t really push, plant, run, and stick and move how I wanted to. So I had to compensate in different ways, and I had a mental barrier that I had to push past to really get through those games. And not just get through those games, but thrive and give my all and be able to find a different level of intensity that I never knew I had in me until playing through those injuries.”

I don’t think anyone was doubting Carter’s toughness, but that revelation certainly confirms that the Tennessee linebacker has the “dog factor”.

Getting a healthy Carter back in 2026 will be a huge boost for the Vols’ defense. We still haven’t seen the best of Carter in a Tennessee uniform. Now that he’s healthy and is settled into the linebacker position (Carter was a running back in high school), we should see Carter have the best season of his college career this fall.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: ‘It was fully ruptured' – Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter reveals what he was really dealing with last season

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