After the conclusion of an injury-riddled junior year with Tennessee football, star linebacker Arion Carter entered his name into the 2026 NFL Draft. For Carter, while the season didn’t go as planned, this was an opportunity to live out a childhood dream of making it to the NFL.
However, at the deadline, Carter removed his name. He entered the transfer portal to give himself a chance to weigh his options before deciding to return to a stacked linebacker room at Tennessee.
At the time, Carter felt like it was an ‘unfortunate’ situation that resulted in him not being able to go pro just yet. However, with some reflection, he’s seen the benefits. Now, he is looking at it from the perspective of the chance to get his degree and work toward a master’s while also ending his college career healthy and on the right note.
“At the time, you could say my perspective on it was that it was an unfortunate type of deal,” Carter said. “Me initially going to pursue my childhood dreams and going to the NFL and playing and being a pro. Having to take that step back in the sense of coming back to college, I look at it in a different light. I got my degree. I’m working in a grad program for my master’s. Ultimately, coming back for another year to do it right, in a sense, for me. I didn’t have the season I wanted to have and certainly know I can have, so just coming back for another year being healthier, faster, stronger, more cerebral as a player overall and just being able to bring my experience from past years to this team in a sense has been great.”
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Carter’s head coach, Josh Heupel, felt the pain that Carter went through in the process. As a national champion quarterback at Oklahoma, Heupel also had dreams of making it to the NFL. Seeing one of his players not be able to make the jump yet was something that hurt at first, but Heupel also certainly wasn’t going to turn down the chance to bring Carter back to his program.
“End of the season, you always want what’s best,” Heupel said. “You try to gather information for players, and I was a young guy that dreamed of playing at that level too, so I hate the experience that the AC went through. Excited for us on the back end of it to be able to have him be a part of this program again for another year. A guy that absolutely does it right on the field, off the field, dynamic leader, has been that for a long time. Super attentive to the details as a player, but somebody that in the middle of the football field can control and command the guys in front of him and behind him. And a relentless competitor that’s extremely physical, is a dynamic playmaker.”
The star linebacker has been with the Vols for the past three seasons and led Tennessee in tackling in 2024. The Smyrna, Tennessee, native missed some time in 2025 while battling turf toe but still played in 10 games for UT. He racked up 76 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two passes defended and one forced fumble during his time on the field in 2025.
While Carter didn’t hear his name called in the draft this year, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he was a draft pick in 2027. If he can stay healthy and prove to be the type of player many project him to be, it could even catapult him up boards to a pick higher than he could’ve achieved last year.
