A look at Tennessee football's current linebackers room

Tennessee’s linebacking corps has one less member.

Hours before the spring transfer portal window opened on Tuesday, linebacker Elijah Herring announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he intended the transfer.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Herring entered the portal with two seasons of eligibility remaining and though he started 11 of 12 games at MIKE linebacker as a sophomore, he had an uphill climb to remain a starter in 2024.

Herring, who was thrust into a starting role after Keenan Pili suffered a season-ending injury just one game into the 2023 season, missed all of spring camp following an offseason surgery.

An in-state, three-star prospect from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro Herring was a part of Tennessee's 2022 signing class. He totaled 87 tackles over two seasons, including a team-high 79 tackles last season.

With Pili returning and back to full health this spring, Herring was likely going to be relegated to the second spot in the rotation.

Herring's absence doesn't immediately leave Tennessee with any glaring needs at the position but it does effect the depth there. The Vols current options at linebacker include junior Kalib Perry sophomores Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander, redshirt freshman Jalen Smith and true freshmen Edwin Spillman and Jordan Burns.

Two linebackers that stood out as freshmen newcomers a year ago and could move into starting spots are Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.

Carter was among the top signees in Tennessee's 2023 class. Another in-state prospect, Carter spurned Alabama on early signing day, opting to sign with the Vols. Because of Pili's injury, he moved into the rotation behind starter Aaron Beasley at WILL linebacker.

The 6-foot-1, 230 pound Carter made an impact, appearing in eight games and recording 17 tackles and a tackle for loss before a shoulder injury against Kentucky sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Carter participated in drills in spring camp but was non-contact in 15 practices, including the spring game. He is expected to be full contact by fall camp in August and could be in line to start at WILL.

"Hearing (Carter) is the biggest thing," First-year Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge said. "When you hear him on the sidelines, you can tell he understands football and knows some of the schematic things that we want. When you see him move when we look at some of our player speeds and player loads, he is always one of the top guys up there from a movement standpoint, so we know we are going to get someone who is coming back that's probably even faster than all the guys that are currently in the room. That's what really makes me excited."

Telander is also in line for increased playing time. He played behind Herring last season but with Herring transferring out, he is now undoubtedly the second in the rotation behind Pili.

As a freshman, Telander played in 12 games and finished with 35 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss and he made the most of his reps in spring practices as one of the few healthy returning linebackers.

"Any chance that I have the opportunity to step on the field, I can't take it for granted it," Telander said. "With people being hurt, a lot of us have to step up and that's a huge opportunity for me to continue to get better."

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee football defensive front showcases potential in spring game

Edwin Spillman made a quick impression in the spring.

The coaching staff raved about the four-star freshman from Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, who arrived on campus on the first day of spring practices back in March.

Spillman was one of the top players in the state, ranking fifth overall player in Tennessee according to Rivals and his list of offers included Georgia, Auburn, Florida State among others.

There isn't too much that can be gleaned from a spring game, but Spillman turned in one of the standout performances in the Vols' annual Orange and White Game. He tied for a game-high five tackles, including four solo.

"I've really just been learning from my mistakes," Spillman said. "When I have guys like (Jeremiah) Telander, (Kennan Pili) and Arion (Carter), everybody in the linebacker room is helping me out wit remembering the plays. It's been super helpful with guys like that to help me when I'm struggling."

By Inge's own admission, Spillman's aggressive approach could have him on the field sooner rather than later, which would be an impressive feat given the fact he has been with the program for just a month.

Spillman won't compete for a starting spot, but he has put himself in position to make a jump on the depth chart in fall camp.

"As a young player, when you come in kind of right as spring ball starting, you talk about drinking from a fire hose," Inge said. "I was trying to turn it down, but it was all over the place and (Spillman) couldn't even see. We were trying to tell him exactly what to do. Then, as you got from one day to the next day, you could just see him continuing to take steps. We feel he has a bright future. He is going to be someone everybody is going to know about here in five months."

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: X's and O's: Analyzing Tennessee's top plays from Orange and White Game

Inge was hired just weeks before spring practices, replacing linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary who left for Michigan after three seasons.

In two seasons at Washington, Inge served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, bringing with him to Tennessee the approach of having his linebackers be multiple.

Under Inge, Vols' linebackers worked on playing both inside and outside positions in the spring, which could be valuable if injuries are prevalent again. As it stands, Pili and Telander are the projected two-deep at MIKE while Carter and Kalib Perry are the top two linebackers at WILL.

"(Being interchangeable) is very big for us," Inge said. "We tell our guys that you have to be what's called a dual-linebacker. You have to know both scenarios, because what we want to be able to do is, in any given scenario, get the best guys on the field. That's what we're doing, that's what we're recruiting to do. We're making sure that both guys can have the opportunity or the ability to do both jobs."

–––––

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.

–––––