The Tennessee Vols have a sophomore defender on the roster that could be poised for a huge breakout season in 2024. 

Sophomore linebacker Arion Carter, a former four-star recruit who signed with Tennessee during the 2024 recruiting cycle, hasn't been a full-go this spring, but new linebacker coach William Inge has still seen (and heard) some positive things from the Smyrna, TN native. 

Inge met with reporters on Tuesday in Knoxville and he detailed how hearing Carter's voice during practice has shown how much the young linebacker understands Tennessee's defensive scheme. 

"Hearing him is the biggest thing," said Inge. "When you hear him on the sidelines, you can tell he understands football and knows some of the schematic things that we want. When you see him move, when we look at some of our player speeds and player loads, he’s always one of the top guys up there from a movement standpoint. So we know we’re gonna get someone that’s coming back that’s probably even faster than all of the guys that are currently in the room. And that’s what really has me excited.

"He is the one guy in the morning that is coming in every morning trying to get a head start on what’s going on today. What are we gonna do? What’s the install? He wants to learn about both positions. It is awesome having a chance to really talk with him. He’s exactly what you want in the program "

Josh Heupel loved this sequence from Tennessee’s defense. 2nd-and-2 to third-and-1 to a stop on fourth down. Huge moment in the game for the Vols. pic.twitter.com/V0WTWFYYZb

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) October 3, 2023

Those comments from Inge are important considering Carter is a player that didn't have much experience at linebacker when he arrived at Tennessee last summer (Carter wasn't in Knoxville for spring practice last year, either). 

Carter played running back in high school and didn't make the switch to linebacker until near the end of his prep career. 

Despite the lack of experience at linebacker, Carter was a highly coveted recruit that nearly every program in the nation badly wanted (Nick Saban and Alabama, specifically, really wanted Carter in Tuscaloosa…likely due to his elite athleticism). 

The only thing preventing Carter from being a household name in the SEC is his lack of defensive experience. 

Based on Inge's comments, though, it sounds like Carter has much a better grasp on playing linebacker in the SEC now that he has almost a year of collegiate experience. 

Carter's improved understanding of Tennessee's scheme combined with his elite physical skills should lead to the young linebacker becoming one of the Vols' biggest contributors on the defensive side of the ball in 2024. He has the speed and athletic ability that's necessary to defend elite playmakers from programs like Alabama and Georgia. 

The Vols have some special athletes on both sides of the ball — the type of athletes that can help programs win championships — thanks to some strong recruiting efforts from Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his staff. 

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