KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football put the shoulder pads on for the first time this fall Saturday morning as the Volunteers completed their third practice of preseason camp at Haslam Field.
Following practice, linebackers coach William Inge met with the media to discuss the development and depth of his position group entering the 2026 season.
“It is a room that is still, as we would say, growing and developing,” Inge said. “The one thing that we can see is you can see a definite impact from the things that coach D.O. (Derek Owings) had to do with them in the weight room, where you could see some true transformation of bodies. The mental aspects of everything, for those guys, growing and getting in their preparations during summertime, it’s definitely great to see. And now you can see some fast, explosive play.”
The Tennessee linebackers possess a balanced mix of veteran leadership and emerging young talent enter their first year under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Four experienced returners in Amare Campbell, Arion Carter, Edwin Spillman and Jeremiah Telander have combined for 124 career games played with 76 starts, 599 total tackles, 51 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.
Campbell’s experience has been particularly valuable as Tennessee implements Knowles’ defensive system. The senior transferred to Tennessee from Penn State, where he played for Knowles before the longtime defensive coordinator was hired on Rocky Top this past offseason.
Campbell has embraced a leadership role within the group, using his familiarity with the defense and his experience on the field to help his teammates.
“Amare has done a really good job of helping lead the group,” Inge said. “The one thing that he does, which is so great, is he could be what we call, like the quiet or the silent coach. He can pull the teammate aside and tell him the perspective of someone who’s actually done it on the football field. There are some things we can tell them from a technique or an execution standpoint, but Amare can give them the hands-on, this is what you’re going to be able to see, perspective.”
Campbell is joined by Carter and Telander as three senior, veteran leaders in the room. Carter, a 2026 preseason All-SEC and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list selection, led the SEC with 7.6 tackles per game last season, while Telander returns for his fourth season after recording a career-high 80 tackles in 2025.
“From an experience standpoint, for sure, but the one thing that our mission from a recruiting standpoint, and we talk about this when we come into their homes, it’s going to be about leadership and production,” Inge said. “So, those are the things that we teach and preach from day one … When you’re on the football field, you have to make sure that you command the defense. You are the quarterback.”
Beyond the veteran core, Inge has seen continued growth from a younger group that includes Jordan Burns, Jaedon Harmon, Jadon Perlotte, Ryan Scott and Grier Short. Freshmen Brayden Rouse and TJ White also joined the program in the spring and have continued their development through the offseason.
With the group now working in pads, Inge emphasized the importance of establishing a strong foundation for the younger linebackers.
“The biggest thing is just them continuing to understand the standard of how we practice, improving in the fundamental play when it comes to hands inside, thumbs to the sky, keeping your eyes exactly where they are supposed to be or the footwork and body position standpoint,” Inge said. “Because if we can make sure that their foundation is built correctly, they will be limitless with the talent they have.”
The Volunteers continue preseason camp Sunday as they prepare for the 2026 season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Aug. 8, 2026
Linebackers Coach William Inge
On the development of the linebacker room from spring to now…
“Well, it’s a room that is still, as we would say, growing and developing. The one thing that we can see is you can see a definite impact from the things that coach D.O. (Derek Owings) had to do with them in the weight room, where you could see some true transformation of bodies. The mental aspects of everything, for those guys, growing and getting in their preparations during summertime. It’s definitely great to see. And now you can see some fast, explosive play, and it shouldn’t be a drop off when you have the next group coming in on the field.”
On next steps for Jadon Perlotte…
“Yeah, just for him to literally take the next step when it comes to his execution and his ability to be consistent. That’s the number one thing that we’ve focused on, because we know that he is a scorpion and that he will bite you, he will strike for sure. Now we just have to make sure that it just remains consistent, and he stays on the upward trajectory of being able to be consistent often.”
On Amare Campbell’s role…
“Yeah, I think that Amare (Campbell) has done a really good job of helping lead the group. The one thing that he does, which is so great, is he could be what we call, like the quiet or the silent coach. He can pull the teammate aside and tell him the perspective of someone who’s actually done it on the football field. There’s some things we can tell them from a technique or an execution standpoint, but Amare can give them the hands on, this is what you’re going to be able to see, perspective. And I think that’s really great from a coach standpoint to have someone like that that’s a veteran in a room, like Amare.”
On leadership and experience in the linebacker room…
“Well, I would say for sure from an experience standpoint, but the one thing that our mission from a recruiting standpoint, and we talk about this when we come into their homes, it’s going to be about leadership and production. So, those are the things that we teach and preach from day one. So, whether you’re a first-year freshman or a fifth- or sixth-year senior, leadership has to be a premium. And when you’re on the football field, you have to make sure that you command the defense. You are the quarterback. So that’s the standard that’s been set, and think we have, you know, three veterans in Amare (Campbell), Arion (Carter) and (Jeremiah) Telander, who are doing a really good job of being able to set that example so all the other guys know what to follow and how to follow.”
On the quality of people in the linebacker room…
“Well again, from a recruiting standpoint, something that we have always learned from day one is you always have to recruit character. And if you can recruit character to your program, it’s one less thing that you, as a coach, have to worry about, where that particular person, they can develop, they can improve, they can get better every day. So, from our perspective, that’s exactly what we want in the room. And that’s the culture that we’ve been establishing to be able to have, coming from the top down, coming from Coach (Josh) Heupel all the way down to us as position coaches. So, us trying to have what we call the RKVs, the Right Kind of Vols in the room, that’s what you want to help your football team.”
On reaction to suspension of Arion Carter…
“Well, I think it was more of a disappointing scenario. Yeah, disappointment would be the right word to be able to use at this point in time because you’re dealing with a landscape that has evolved versus a rule that is kind of extinct. So, I would more say disappointed where the punishment doesn’t fit the crime, and with how the landscape has evolved and changed. So that would be our perspective. But the one thing we have to do is we have to move forward and keep on pressing.”
On his process to familiarize himself with the defense…
“Well, it is a great process because the one thing that we all understand is that football is football. As leaders, we have to challenge ourselves to make sure that we can be able to be the best, so when we come into the room, we have to be the best leaders for our players. So, it starts with as a coach, us challenging ourselves, and I think that as a staff, having someone who is as sharp, bright and intelligent as Coach (Jim) Knowles, it really just trickles down into all of us who really understand football. Now you have to learn and understand the system how you are going to get this across all of your players. So, the transition from our perspective has been very good.”
On how he manages the ego in his room and also how he is managing Arion Carter despite not being able to play until week 3…
“Well, the biggest thing with Arion (Carter), even though he did not get the opportunity to “participate” in the spring, he was here in the spring, and he probably got more film studying, more individual walkthrough time than anyone in the organization when it comes to learning our defense. So, he may not have gotten the “full speed rep” of everything, but he was able to get some of the infancy stages of how everything was installed, what switch can change, because football is still going to be football with its coverage, who’s cover 2, cover 3s cover three. So, he was able to get a lot of the infancy stages at the groundwork without him being able to be in practice. From an ego standpoint, the one thing we always tell our players, and even as coaches, when you come in the door, you have to put your ego to the side. That is an absolute must. You cannot be a me guy. You have to be a we or us guy. And if you can understand that, great things can come from that perspective.”
On how he would describe Arion Carter’s demeanor and focus throughout practice and camp so far…
“You do not know that that is the scenario for him because what he is, he is very patient, he is very calm and he understands, I still have to turn the page, we are onto the next play. Whatever comes of it comes of it. But the one thing that he knows is whenever he gets on the football field, he wants to make sure that he can be prepared, ready to go and help our football team win football games.”
On how rare it is to have three guys, Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander and Amare Campbell, have so much experience in his room…
“Well in the current landscape, very rare. In the previous landscape, that is exactly what you want to have as a successful football team because often if you can be a very mature team, you will have a chance to experience just the best results in respect to how some of the players learn, but having the opportunity to have these seniors in our room and they can set the example and they have all the experience. Now we know we have to couple that with performance when we get to Saturdays on the football field.”
On what he is trying to instill in the younger players during their first fall camp…
“Just them continuing to understand the standard of how we practice. Them improving in the fundamental play when it comes to hands inside, thumbs to the sky, keeping your eyes exactly where they are supposed to be from the footwork and body position standpoint because if we can make sure that their foundation is built correctly, they will be limitless with the talent that they have.”
On how Jeremiah Telander is different now compared to last year…
“Just another year of growth. That is probably the best thing we have seen from Jeremiah (Telander) at this point in time. The growth that he had from D.O. (Derek Owings) in the weight room, the preparation of him really knowing where everyone on the football field is. That is something he really challenged himself for. He said ‘coach, in this offseason I don’t want to just know where I’m supposed to be. I want to learn what everyone on the football field is doing. And we are seeing with him knowing where everyone else is, is really helping his capacity to be able to be a performer and a playmaker.”
