Arion Carter was patient.

On the first play after Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway took over in the third quarter, clinging to a lead his team had held for nearly two quarters, he tried to force a throw down field. The Tennessee linebacker was waiting.

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In a spot on the field where he kept his eye on both Lagway and Gators running back Ja'Kobi Jackson, Carter high-pointed the pass as if he was the target. Then he raced 15 yards the other way.

It was another critical stop--one of many for the Vols defense in their come-from-behind, 23-17 overtime win over Florida at Neyland Stadium last Saturday. It was also another example of Carter's irreplaceable role.

"Playing high-low," Carter said. "I knew if I was high-low on the quarterback, I would be able to dictate terms on what he may or may not do. I knew if i went down on the running back, that would be an easy access throw. Just did my job at the end of the day."

Carter burst onto the scene as a freshman a year ago, thrust into a bigger-than-expected role due to injuries He was just settling in before an injury of his own sidelined him for the final five games of 2023.

Despite not being able to play, Carter's presence in the facilities was evident. When first-year linebackers coach William Inge was hired before spring practices, he was often surprised to see Carter's car still sitting the parking lot in the wee hours of the morning.

Once he return to the field, first in a limited capacity in the spring and then back to full speed in fall camp, Carter looked bigger, stronger and faster. His football IQ had improved, too.

Where he once relied on his athleticism to make up for expected freshman mistakes, Carter is in the right place on the field far more often than not. His interception against Florida, which led directly to a game-tying field goal, is one example. His 27 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss are, too.

"It's just the work behind the scenes," Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said. "(Carter) is a tireless worker from a mental perspective. Understanding how teams are going to try to attack us not just in the run game but even in the passing game, nothing is by accident. He's the poster child of putting in the extra work mentally and you are starting to see it show up week in and week out.

"He's only a true sophomore and his ceiling is extremely high. We love the direction he's headed right now."

Carter is only a sophomore that will now be an even more integral part of Tennessee's defense as it enters the back-half of its schedule, starting with No. 7 Alabama on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The Vols' victory against Florida came at a cost. They lost veteran middle linebacker Keenan Pili for the second-straight year. It was an injury to Pili early last season that led to Carter getting more playing time.

Now, Tennessee will lean more on Carter in Pili's absence.

"Having a brother down like that, a great leader on our team who plays a great role on our team, having (Pili) go down, next man on the tally as coach (William) Inge always says,” Carter said. “We just have to go out there and play for him. As a unit and as a defense we have to go out there and play for Keenan Pili because that's our brother and we have to go fight.”

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