No position on Tennessee’s defense and perhaps the entire roster looks more different than linebacker, where the Vols have flipped a room that just two years ago sometimes had just seven available players for spring practices. Now Brian Jean-Mary (https://247sports.com/Coach/Brian-Jean-Mary-575) is overseeing a group led by Aaron Beasley (https://247sports.com/Player/Aaron-Beasley-46048518), Tennessee’s leading tackler last season, and including veteran BYU transfer Keenan Pili (https://247sports.com/Player/Keenan-Pili-80155), two sophomores on the rise and three freshmen, including one of the crown jewels of Tennessee’s top-10 2023 recruiting class in Arion Carter (https://247sports.com/Player/Arion-Carter-46131120). Ahead of Tennessee’s first scrimmage of spring practice on Saturday, Jean-Mary went in-depth on his position group.
The veteran assistant coach talked a lot about leadership, revealed what Pili will bring to the Vols, discussed the second-year development of Elijah Herring (https://247sports.com/Player/Elijah-Herring-46085566) and Kalib Perry (https://247sports.com/Player/Kalib-Perry-46102957) and explained why Carter, who the Vols beat Alabama to get, is already starting to live up to the hype in his first spring.
Here is everything Jean-Mary said about Tennessee’s linebackers after the Vols finished their sixth spring practice on Thursday morning.