Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter, who previously entered the Transfer Portal, is now set to return to the Volunteers, On3 has learned. He had previously declared for the NFL Draft before entering the Transfer Portal. When he was in the Transfer Portal, Carter was the 103rd nationally and eighth among linebackers in the portal. That’s […]
Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter, who previously entered the Transfer Portal, is now set to return to the Volunteers, On3 has learned. He had previously declared for the NFL Draft before entering the Transfer Portal.
When he was in the Transfer Portal, Carter was the 103rd nationally and eighth among linebackers in the portal. That’s according to the On3 College Football Top Transfer Portal Player rankings.
Arion Carter played his high school football at Smyrna in Tennessee. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. Carter was the 125th-ranked player and the 11th-ranked linebacker in that recruiting cycle. He would choose to go to Tennessee ahead of Alabama, Memphis, and Ohio State, among other programs.
In 31 career games over three seasons at Tennessee, Carter has 161 total tackles. That includes 13.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. He also has an interception and nine passes defended to go with a forced fumble. In 2025, the coaches voted for him to be an All-SEC Second Team selection.
Initially, Carter had made the decision to go to the NFL. However, he would later change his mind so that he could finish his degree.
“Just the simple fact of me being able to go and finish my degree I only have a couple credit hours left,” Carter said. “I’ll be the first in my family to graduate college. I just want to go and have a full season healthy. I had been dealing with turf toe in my feet all year and wasn’t able to play to my expectation. Being able to come back and have a full year of training and sharpening my tools and being a better linebacker and setting out to do everything I want to accomplish this next year.”
During the time that Carter was in the Transfer Portal, On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported that he had interest in staying within the SEC. That included several reported conversations with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Clearly, those conversations paid off now that he’s set to stay in Knoxville.
One year removed from a College Football Playoff appearance, Tennessee went 8-5 this past season. That includes a bowl loss.
The Transfer Portal closed for players to enter on January 16th. However, commitments are still coming in around the country. There is no Spring window for players to enter this offseason.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Category: General Sports
