Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is always looking to evolve offensively.

Heupel understands that evolving is necessary in the SEC where the top defensive coordinators in the sport quickly adjust from year to year.

And that’s why I think Heupel should bring back one of former Vols head coach Derek Dooley’s best plays.

Josh Heupel should use linebacker Arion Carter in red zone situations in 2026

Dooley didn’t do much right during his time as Tennessee’s head coach, but one thing he did effectively was use linebacker AJ Johnson as a running back in red zone situations (the credit should probably go to offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, but Dooley was the head coach so it ultimately falls on him to give the go-ahead).

Johnson rushed for six touchdowns in 2012 while being used in the “beast package”.

I would love to see Heupel use linebacker Arion Carter, a former high school running back, in the same way.

And I think there would be two benefits to it.

For starters, it would give the Vols another option in the red zone, where scoring in the SEC can be incredibly difficult (the field shrinks and the options become limited).

Secondly, it would give defensive coordinators another look from Tennessee that they have to prepare for.

Heupel could use Carter in the red zone in the season-opener against Furman, for example, and because that’s on film, teams would have to start preparing for it.

From there, maybe Tennessee trots Carter onto the field against Texas later in September and then runs a completely different play out of that look. It’s kind of like showing a down-and-away fastball to a hitter and then throwing a hard slider for the strikeout. Then maybe in the next at bat the pitcher throws the low-and-away fastball on an 0-2 count and freezes the hitter for a backward K.

Essentially, it would give opposing defensive coordinators something else they have to think about. And the more the defensive coordinator has to think, the more favorable it is for the offense.

I don’t think using Carter as a running back in the red zone is the game-changer that’s going to win the Vols a national championship, but it would be another tool that Tennessee can use to be even more effective in the most important part of the field — the red zone.