Tennessee football's Arion Carter is preparing for a breakout season

Tennessee football's defense has slowly improved year over year since Josh Heupel became the head coach in 2021. He's known for his offensive firepower but has spent a lot of time emphasizing defense on the recruiting trail and developing talent on campus. 

That includes sophomore linebacker Arion Carter. He appeared in eight games last season and recorded 17 total tackles, but suffered an injury against Kentucky and required shoulder surgery. Now, he is back and looking like one of the best linebackers on the roster. 

A lot of that has to do with the preparations Carter has made throughout the offseason despite his injury leading up to fall camp. Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge said Carter had spent dozens of hours late into the night watching film, looking to get better. 

"Their element of preparation is, for them, I would say, beyond their years right now to see the things that they do when no one is watching when you're not around," Inge said. "They are what you would call your 'junkies in the building.' Sometimes, when you leave the parking lot, how do you say, 'Well gosh, there's a car sitting over there.' I wonder, is this car broken? So I would send a text message, 'Hey, AC (Arion Carter), man, is your car, are you okay? Is your car good?' 

"No, coach, I'm just here in the linebacker room watching a film, and this at 10:30, 11 o'clock at night. And that's, to me, that's what it's all about." 

Carter has also improved physically since his injury. He said he weighs about 225 lbs now, 15 pounds lighter than last season, so he feels faster and more explosive as a result. 

"Obviously, at (240 pounds), I felt strong, and I was able to physically be the part," Carter said. "But we're in a game now where you have to run sideline to sideline, be able to cover receivers, running backs, tight ends. I feel like me being at a smaller weight, it's a big difference." 

Coach Inge noticed that Carter looked faster and more explosive on the football field. Carter's rehab coming off his injury and extra work put in looks to be paying off early into fall camp. 

"The element that (Carter) has, something that you can't coach, is his speed and his quickness," Inge said. "He is elusive when he's on the football field, almost like a cheetah. So it's great to have a linebacker that can move like that but have the body that he has from a physical nature. He's someone we're going to be able to really utilize in the days, years, and games to come."

Tennessee's revamped defense will be on display on August 31 when Chattanooga comes to town to kick off the 2024 season. Carter, among others, is looking to open the year with a breakout game against the Mocs.