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Josh Heupel’s sixth team at Tennessee is one with that has questions and it’s one that has some givens. There’s no bigger given about the 2026 Vols than the linebacker room. It’s such a given that the low-key head coach was bullish on that room Monday before going talking at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
“Certainly, the linebacker position, probably the deepest that we’ve been at any one position since we’ve been here,” Heupel said when asked about the depth of his team in a Zoom with the local media.
Tennessee’s top three tacklers from a year ago — Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, and Edwin Spillman — all return. The trio combined for 237 tackles last season. Penn State transfer Amare Campbell led the Nittany Lions a season ago with 103 tackles for defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Behind those four are five other linebackers who have played or were highly sought after recruits in Brayden Rouse and TJ White
“It’s extremely deep,” senior Arion Carter said. “We have at least five to seven guys who can be in a rotation and play. That’s the beauty of it. As coach (William) Inge always says, you have the guys in the room that can learn it, earn it and go compete at a championship level you are going to be given the opportunity to play. Just going into camp having a great mindset knowing that everyone can come in and play and contribute.”
The question is how do you get everyone on the field and involved? Also, how do you keep them happy? Carter said the room has already discussed it as a group. Telander said with the schedule the Vols have everyone will be needed. Carter said the room has already discussed it.
“We all understand what it takes to go out there and play at a high level,” Carter said. “We know what it’s going to take. No one’s pride is ever in the way. We are all competitor but we know if our heart as long as we give our best every single day they coaches are going to put the guys on the field that they think gives us the best chance to win.”
With the linebacker position being the deepest and the most talented on defense, there’s been talk of playing three linebacker sets and even walking a line backer up to the line of scrimmage. Heupel declined to go into details but did acknowledge on Monday there the depth and the versatility of the linebacker position gives Knowles “flexibility” to do some different things.
“I trust coach Knowles and our defensive staff to put the right people on the field and put us in the right position to make plays,” Telander said. “We have talked across the board. We gotta go earn it, learn it and take it.”
For Carter, learning Tennessee’s new defense over the last seven months has been different. Carter, who says he’s 100% now, missed all of spring ball following toe surgery. He was limited physically for 3-4 months as he rehabbed the toe which meant a lot of screen time.
“Throughout my three-to-four month rehab, I was never, ever away from the defense,” Carter said. “The first two weeks post-op I had to sit and was immobile. I got on zooms from my computer and my phone. I took my notebooks and I wrote down as many notes as possible. And I asked as many questions as I could. That’s the best thing about our defensive staff and support staff, they are so helpful and are such resources It’s hard to fail in my eyes if you really want it.”
Wanting it and going to get it become a physical reality for assistant coach William Inge’s deep squad a week from Wednesday when Tennessee opens fall camp.
