TENNESSEE VOLS FOOTBALL: Carter named to Witten watch list
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Tennessee senior linebacker Arion Carter was announced as one of 89 nominees for the 2026 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award on Thursday.
Nominated by their schools, the members of the watch list have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
An undisputed defensive leader and team captain, Carter led the team in tackles during the regular season in 2025 despite battling through a foot injury, finishing with 76 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 10 games played. His 7.6 tackles per game led the SEC, as well.
The Smyrna, Tennessee, native, was one of 20 semifinalists for the Witten Award last year and opted to return for his senior season after exploring entering the NFL Draft.In conjunction with his on-field success, Carter's list of achievements off the field are equally, if not more impressive. The Preseason All-SEC selection served as Tennessee's representative on the 2025 SEC Football Leadership Council, providing guidance to the conference and Commissioner Greg Sankey.
Additionally, Carter has served as one of UT's player representatives at SEC Media Days in each of the last two years (2025 & 2026) and was a member of the 2024-25 VOLeaders Academy, culminating with a service trip to Brazil.Along with his teammates, Carter has been a regular visitor to patients at the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital in Knoxville, as well.
This summer, Carter shaved his head in support of his 24-year-old girlfriend, Mariah, who underwent a double mastechtomy and was undergoing chemotherapy to battle stage 2 breast cancer.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Carter will partner with his mother Sheteka Alexander's nonprofit – Girls in Real Life Situations (GIRLS) – to raise money through his play by donating $427 for every tackle he makes this season. Carter will also donate $500 for every sack, $1,000 for every interception or forced fumble and $5,000 if he scores a defensive touchdown this year.
Twenty semifinalists will be selected by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee and announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Three finalists will then be named for the award on Monday, Dec. 14. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony, which will take place in Spring of 2027.
The award is named after Witten, a former Tennessee tight end who went on to be one of the best on the field in the NFL. He was also lauded for his work off the field during his playing days.
Alabama Bray Hubbard
UAB Adam Lepkowski
Appalachian St. Colton Phares
Arizona Noah Fifita
Arkansas Jaden Platt
Army Owen Walter
Auburn Byrum Brown
Baylor Michael Allen
Boise State Maddux Madsen
Boston College KP Price
BYU Andrew Gentry
California Jordan King
Cincinnati Evan Tengesdahl
Clemson Ashton Hampton
Colorado Ben Finneseth
Colorado State Hauss Hejny
Delaware Steven Demboski
Duke Matt Craycraft
Eastern Michigan Zach Mowchan
Florida Myles Graham
Florida Atlantic Caden Veltkamp
Florida State Duce Robinson
Georgia Lawson Luckie
Georgia Southern Josh Dallas
Georgia Tech Kyle Efford
Hawai’i Elijah Palmer
Houston Conner Weigman
Illinois Ismael Kante
Indiana Tyrique Tucker
Iowa Jayden Montgomery
Iowa State Jaylen Raynor
Kansas Calvin Clements
Kansas State Joe Jackson
Kennesaw St. Baron Hopson
Kent State Wayne Harris
Kentucky Willie Rodriguez
LSU Whit Weeks
Louisiana Lunch Winfield
Louisville Clev Lubin
Maryland Malik Washington
Marshall Toby Payne
Massachusetts Timmy Hinspeter
Miami Mark Fletcher, Jr.
Michigan Jordan Marshall
Michigan State Jordan Hall
Middle Tennessee Cam Lacy
Mississippi State DJ Chester
Missouri Dominick Giudice
Navy Braxton Woodson
Nebraska Justin Evans
North Carolina Jordan Shipp
NC State Isaiah Shirley
North Texas Zakye Barker
Notre Dame Leonard Moore
Ohio State Carson Hintzman
Ole Miss Keaton Thomas
Oklahoma David Stone
Old Dominion Koa Naotala
Oregon Dante Moore
Oregon State Nick Norris
Penn State Cooper Cousins
Pittsburgh Mason Heintschel
Purdue Hudauri Hines
Rice Chibby Nwajuaku
San Jose State Naseri Danielson
SMU Kevin Jennings
South Carolina Nyck Harbor
Syracuse Steve Angeli
USC Jayden Maiava
Stanford Davis Warren
Temple Peter Clarke
Tennessee Arion Carter
Texas Hero Kanu
Texas A&M Marcus Ratcliffe
TCU Ansel Din-Mbuh
Texas Tech J’Koby Williams
UTSA Camron Cooper
Toledo Matt Hofer
Tulane Jackson Courville
Utah JC Hart
Utah State Javen Jacobs
Vanderbilt Nick Rinaldi
Virginia Ethan Minter
Virginia Tech Marcellous Hawkins, Jr.
Wake Forest Zach Lohavichan
Washington Landen Hatchett
West Virginia Jaden Bray
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