Vols insider shares latest health update on Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter and whether he’ll participate in spring practice
Linebacker Arion Carter is returning to Rocky Top for his final season of eligibility with the Tennessee Vols.
The Tennessee Vols received a welcome surprise earlier this month when Arion Carter announced his intentions to return to Rocky Top for his final season of eligibility.
Carter initially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but he pulled out of the draft after he found out that the turf toe injury he dealt with last season will require surgery (which means Carter wouldn’t have been able to participate in pre-draft events).
Will Arion Carter take part in spring practice for the Vols?
Getting Carter back is obviously a huge boost for the Vols’ defense. The Tennessee native could be a first round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft if he has a solid senior season.
But this offseason is going to be tricky for the former four-star recruit.
New Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will be installing his scheme this spring. But unfortunately for Carter, it sounds like he won’t be on the field getting reps during spring practice.
“I don’t think he’ll do anything this spring,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs Friday on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “But I think he’ll be good to go this summer. Arion has not had many full off-seasons since he’s been in college, which probably hurt him a bit. Because he had the shoulder stuff and everything else. Last year, it was a shoulder that he was rehabbing up until basically June [before] he was back at 100 percent.
“I don’t know what the exact timeline is on this. I think you’re probably looking at six to 10 weeks or six to eight weeks — something like that. You’re not going to put him out there for anything in spring practice. So he’ll be an observer trying to learn Jim Knowles’ system. And put himself in a position that he should be ready to go when you get to May, heading into June. He should have a full summer and be ready to go when August gets here. But that toe is the reason he pulled himself out of the draft, because he just was not going to be able to compete, test, and do all things he wanted to do to improve his draft stock. They rested the toe in hopes that it would get better throughout the month of December, and it just did not improve well enough on its own. And they decided that surgery was the best route for him.”
There’s no substitute for on-field reps, so the injury will definitely serve as a setback for Carter this spring as he learns a new defense. Carter, though, approaches the game like a pro. Despite not being able to take part in the on-field action during spring, he’ll be locked in and learning how to operate in Knowles’ defensive scheme while working his way to being 100 percent healthy for fall practice.
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