Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter plans to withdraw his name from the 2026 NFL Draft and enter into the transfer portal, On3.com reported.
Carter, an All-SEC linebacker, opted out of the Music City Bowl to prepare for NFL draft workouts. But it appears he has now changed his mind and will return to college to utilize his final season of eligibility. He is not expected to play at Tennessee in the 2026 season.
Tennessee fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks following the 2025 season and replaced him with Jim Knowles. But Carter’s linebackers coach, William Inge, remains on the staff.
UT added Penn State transfer Amare Campbell to the linebacking corps from the portal. Edwin Spillman, Jeremiah Telander, Jadon Perlotte, Jaedon Harmon and Jordan Burns also return at linebacker.
In the 2025 season, Carter played 10 games with nine starts while dealing with foot injuries. He had 76 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Carter, a 6-foot-1, 235-pounder from Smyrna, played 31 games with 22 starts over his three-year UT career. He missed part of his 2023 freshman season due to a shoulder injury. But he bounced back with a breakout season in 2024 on a top-10 defense.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
