The Tennessee Volunteers started their spring practices on Monday. Head coach Josh Heupel will now have 43 new faces to work with, 21 of whom are transfer portal players. But one of Heupel’s ace linebackers, Arion Carter, was nowhere to be seen in the practices. After widespread speculation, the head coach has cleared the air on Carter’s injury recovery.

“I feel like we’re in a pretty healthy spot right now,” Heupel said yesterday in a presser. “There are a couple of guys that are still working through postseason injuries, Arion Carter right now. But all those guys have done a really good job in their rehab right now.” Carter is one of the most crucial pieces for Heupel this year, and his recovery becomes paramount for the team.

Tennessee recruited 4-star Arion Carter in 2023, and his upside was always high. He arrived on Rocky Top as the nation’s top-10 linebacker and posted 92 tackles and three sacks in his senior year. The talent was waiting to be harnessed, and Josh Heupel quickly thrust him into December’s Orange Bowl practices in 2022, as he began his classes in January. Entering with high expectations as a freshman, Carter’s season was cut short abruptly.

On October 28, 2023, he suffered a shoulder injury against Kentucky on the road. Carter missed the final five games of the 2023 season, but still accumulated 17 tackles as an emerging Tennessee freshman. Coming back to the 2024 season, Carter remained injury-free and accumulated 68 tackles, defending 6 passes. Going ahead, 2025 was going to be a pivotal year for his NFL draft aspirations. However, an unexpected calamity struck again.

Carter battled a turf toe injury throughout the season, but his productivity didn’t drop. The 6’1″ and 235 lbs LB notched 76 tackles along with 1.5 sacks and became one of the top LB prospects in the NFL draft. But later reports revealed that Carter would need surgery and would have to recover for at least six months, effectively tanking his 2026 draft stock. Ever since then, he has been recovering and will likely be fully recovered before fall camp.

Arion Carter didn’t really ponder coming back to Tennessee after ditching the 2026 NFL draft. The Tennessee #7 had entered the transfer portal, anticipating that the Vols had found someone else for his role after his NFL draft decision. Instead, Josh Heupel prioritized him and promised to give him his starting role back. Carter quickly committed to Tennessee again and ditched the portal. That decision seems to be paying dividends now.

Josh Heupel opens up about his spring practice blueprint for Arion Carter

Arion Carter’s decision to come back was due to his desire to complete his degree and bolster his 2027 draft stock. But in truth, according to The Zone’s Lucas Panzica, Arion never “wanted to play anywhere other than Tennessee in college.” The transfer portal move was a last-ditch attempt since Heupel has taken Penn State’s Amare Campbell at the linebacker position. But now it seems the head coach has plans for both.

Josh Heupel is increasingly limiting Arion in the practices and de-prioritizing high-risk tackling situations for now. The goal is, of course, to speed up Arion’s recovery. “It’s a balance as you go through spring ball based on where your roster is at, where you’re at. And the understanding of what you’re doing and some of the fundamental and technical work that you have to have,” Heupel said. “An example would be tackling. Just balancing how many high-risk situations you’re putting some of your guys in.”

Tennessee’s linebacker depth has become one of the deepest in the SEC. Amare Campbell came after totaling 103 tackles with Penn State in 2025. Sophomore Jadon Perlotte, on the other hand, is a rising star and accumulated 19 tackles along with a QB hurry last year. Redshirt sophomore Edwin Spillman is another veteran who totaled 81 tackles last year. But with Arion’s return now, both Spillman and Campbell would likely fight for the MLB spot. Arion Carter, on the contrary, will be the starting WLB, and Jadon Perlotte will be his deputy.