Inside Jim Knowles' Tennessee linebacker plan as Arion Carter joins vs Georgia Tech

Linebacker Arion Carter said he was reflective when scanning the Neyland Stadium crowd as Tennessee football's inactive game captain against Furman but exhilarated by the dynamic Vols defense he witnessed from the sideline.

First-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles showed a glimpse of his wizardry with numerous formations and linebacker combinations in the season opener, and Carter is about to join the mix after serving a one-game suspension issued by the NCAA.

Penn State transfer Amare Campbell, who played for Knowles last season, directed the defense on the field against Furman. Edwin Spillman was an effective blitzer. Jeremiah Telander was an edge rusher as much as a linebacker. Jadon Perlotte was a guided (and sometimes misguided) missile with a tackle-for-loss and a personal foul for a late hit.

It was intriguing, and the plot should thicken when Carter is injected into the lineup.

No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) plays Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

Carter, a 2025 All-SEC performer, will make his season debut after serving a one-game suspension in UT's 56-9 win over Furman. The NCAA sidelined Carter over controversial circumstances. He accepted a $427 flight from his agent to an NFL pre-draft training facility. He repaid it, but the NCAA still suspended him for accepting an impermissible benefit.

Carter turned the negative into a positive, pledging to donate money to charitites that fund cancer treatments. He'll give $427 for each tackle he makes this season, $500 for each sack, $1,000 for each interception or forced fumble and $5,000 for each defensive touchdown he scores.

To make the most of that goodwill, Carter will squeeze into an already-crowded linebacker rotation. How Knowles uses Carter is a critical question because he already showed creativity without him.

“Seeing the different type of looks and the different type of ways that we can work the coverage and the rush, it’s exciting for me to see,” Carter said. “And it’s exciting for me to go out there and put it all together whenever I get to.”

Jim Knowles did creative things with linebackers in first game

There’s no indication whether Carter will start against Georgia Tech. But it probably doesn’t matter because Knowles has a deep rotation. He showed a sample of his plans at linebacker in Furman’s first five drives, when five linebackers played in various packages.

On the opening drive, Campbell and Spillman started at linebacker. Telander also started, but he was on the line portraying an edge rusher.

Those three linebackers were in the same general alignment on the third and fourth drives. Telander stayed on a fixed side, regardless of whether it was the offense’s strong side or weak side. He sometimes dropped into coverage to depict a 3-3-5 alignment.

On the second and fifth drives, UT was mostly in a 4-2-5 alignment. Campbell and Telander were the linebackers on the second drive. Telander and Perlotte played on the fifth drive, and then Spillman joined them for one play in a 4-3 alignment.

That's a lot of variety for the first quarter of the opening game against an inferior opponent. But coach Josh Heupel said Knowles is adept at making massive changes from game to game to stay ahead of the competition.

"I think he's good at being able to be different from week to week in presentations, rotations, pressures," Heupel said. "I think he’s a good in-game adjuster, as well."

Whose playing time will Arion Carter take against Georgia Tech?

Against Furman, the starters played until the score turned lopsided. According to Pro Football Focus, Telander (35 snaps), Spillman (29 snaps), Campbell (28 snaps) and Perlotte (18 snaps) played the most at linebacker.

Perlotte might be the odd man out against Georgia Tech with Carter joining the rotation. But Perlotte’s raw speed could be a factor in some third-down situations.

Carter may be interchangeable with Spillman. They’re both versatile linebackers who can run laterally to chase ball-carriers, blitz the quarterback and drop into pass coverage.

But assuming that Carter simply cuts into Spillman’s snaps doesn’t account for Knowles’ creativity.

Regardless of the combination, it appears that Knowles wants to explore ways to put three linebackers on the field together. The Vols have more depth at linebacker than defensive line.

Why Arion Carter is eager to play with Amare Campbell

Spillman, Telander and Carter were UT’s top three tacklers last season. Campbell transferred from Penn State and helped teach Knowles’ defensive scheme to those returning linebackers.

But any suggestion that they could nudge Campbell out of the rotation now that they know the scheme appears misguided. Campbell was UT’s co-leader in tackles (six) against Furman along with fellow Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam.

Campbell had the green dot on his helmet, meaning Knowles communicated with him directly via radio. Safety DeJuan Lane, another Penn State transfer, also adjusted the linebackers’ alignment pre-snap on a couple of occasions.

Carter recognizes Campbell’s value. He’s eager to join him in whatever role that Knowles has in mind.

“Amare is a true leader out there on the field, a true general, alpha male,” Carter said. “With him having two years now in the system and being a vet, knowing the ins and outs of the schematics of the defense, just having another guy out there who’s smart, cerebral and really a ball player, it gets me excited.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Inside Jim Knowles' Tennessee linebacker plan as Arion Carter joins vs Georgia Tech