Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, lost a key piece of his linebacker depth. However, unlike other players who either leave for the portal or the draft, linebacker Ben Bolton isn’t leaving the University. He’s just done with the football side of things despite having eligibility.

Bolton, who joined Tennessee from Lausanne Collegiate School in 2022, decided to quit football after it became clear that his chances of playing consistently were less. He has, however, chosen to remain in the university to complete his degree as a regular student.

The Memphis native had the “hometown hero” arc going for him when he chose the Vols as a preferred walk-on in 2022 despite having 10 Division 1 scholarship offers. Throughout his high school career, all he wanted was to represent the Vols in college. That dream got fulfilled in his freshman year, when he appeared in four games to maintain his redshirt eligibility. 

Bolton saw increased game time in his redshirt freshman year. He appeared in all 13 games, but rather than being a key piece of the defense, his role was limited to special teams. That began to change in his sophomore year. In 2024, Bolton had 10 appearances, and along with special teams action, he also became a rotational piece on the linebacker depth chart.

That yearly increase in his role continued last season as well, as Bolton went through his most productive year. In 12 appearances, Bolton saw a career-high 151 defensive snaps, recording 18 tackles and two QB hits.

Though Ben Bolton’s performances may not have been the most glamorous, his coaches at Tennessee saw him as a key part of the roster. Following a subpar 2025 in which the Tennessee Volunteers’ defense ranked 92nd nationally in scoring defense and 88th in yards allowed due to injuries and inconsistency, DC Tim Banks was fired.

For the 2026 season, the Vols’ linebacker room is perhaps the deepest in the conference, with returning stars like Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter. Moreover, Penn State transfer Amare Campbell, who came to the program with Knowles, is also expected to see significant snaps.

That may have pushed Bolton into making a tough call, but since he’s a “Vol for Life,” he couldn’t imagine taking the gridiron for any other college team. Volunteers’ linebacker coach William Inge had nothing but commendable words to say about Bolton, especially regarding his performance in the big games he featured in.

Tennessee Volunteers’ LB coach has nothing but praise for Bolton 

William Inge, the LB coach who served as the interim defensive coordinator before the appointment of Jim Knowles, spoke about Bolton’s 2025 performance in an interview.

“Ben Bolton has really endured what we call the battle of the Navy SEAL, where we put him through a lot of instruction, a lot of testing, and a lot of pressure,” Inge said.

There is no doubt that Bolton brings a lot of leadership qualities and veteran experience to the Tennessee Volunteers. But none of the parties involved could prevent his departure.

“And he’s come out on the backside of that showing that from a leadership standpoint, he understands how to lead our defense. But also from a performance and production standpoint, he knows how to drive the defense and put our defense in a scenario where he’s not an inefficient player when he’s on the field. So with that, he’s gained our trust. And that’s why on my end, I don’t think twice about putting him in the game.”

Bolton will now have to replace his passion for football with something else, as the Vols’ LB room keeps growing.