Tennessee’s quarterback competition and its linebacker competition in the months ahead has one gargantuan difference.
The linebackers are already proven.
Amare Campbell, Arion Carter, Edwin Spillman and Jeremiah Telander combined for a whopping 340 tackles and 41 starts last season, with Campbell racking up his 103 tackles and 13 starts at Penn State under new Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The other three are returning Volunteers who have been in the program for at least three springs.
“You cannot take a day off,” Telander said of the linebacker room after last Saturday’s Orange & White Game. “We brought Amare over, and he has a lot of knowledge in this system. He has been awesome in sharing that knowledge with us. We’re having a blast.
“We’ve got some dogs in that room, and I’m super excited about what we’re building.”