Tennessee football defensive coordinator Tim Banks seems to think he has a star in the making on his roster. Banks sang the praises of true freshman linebacker Jadon Perlotte during his press conference on Tuesday after a stretch of games which Perlotte has been forced to step up in.
Perlotte didn’t play much to begin the year, but began to cement himself as one of the best options off the bench in the home win over Arkansas. He continued to get his fair share of snaps at Alabama and Kentucky, and played a good bit in the home loss to Oklahoma, as well.
With Arion Carter dealing with turf toe, it’s opened up more playing time for him. These are moments that he’s taken advantage of despite his inexperience.
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“We’ve force-fed Perlotte a ton,” Banks said. “You guys have seen the flashes. He can run, he’s long. Obviously, AC is a guy that’s been battle-tested, played a lot of football around here. So I think him seeing the way AC works, that’s invaluable. But I think a lot different from some of the other guys I’ve talked about, man, when you look at this kid a year from now, sheesh, you get the weight on, continue to get stronger, another year in the system, I think this kid will be as good as some of the backers we’ve had here in a long time.
“But there’s a learning curve. But I do think having (Jeremiah) Telander around, (Edwin) Spillman, obviously, AC, you know, Perlotte, (Jaedon) Harmon, all those guys being able to see how those guys work, how they go about their business, just gonna pay dividends in the future.”
Perlotte has recorded six tackles in his limited time so far. He’s recovered a pair of fumbles in this time, as well.
Out of Buford, Georgia, he was a four-star recruit, according to 247. He was considered the No. 33 linebacker and No. 45 player out of the Peach State in the class. He was initially committed to USC, but the Vols pulled off the flip in December.
