Tennessee is going to open the season without Arion Carter, and the reason has plenty of people around college football shaking their heads.
The Volunteers’ best linebacker and team captain will miss the first two games because of an NCAA rule tied to a trip to an NFL pre-draft training facility. Carter’s trip was reported to be worth about $427, and the NCAA prohibits student-athletes who hope to return to college from allowing an agent of a professional team to pay for a flight to a pre-draft or training facility.
That rule has become a sore spot because it can leave players in a strange middle ground. Some athletes declare for the NFL Draft without planning to come back, then change course before the return window closes. The source also notes that NCAA rules have been bent in other areas through loopholes, including situations that have allowed semi-pro players to return to college basketball.
The reaction has gone well beyond Tennessee’s fan base. Brooks Austin, known to many as “The Film Guy” on YouTube, blasted the NCAA over the suspension.
“The NCAA chooses to enforce their “power” over the dumbest stuff. This is the equivalent of giving out parking tickets next to a dude shooting up," Brooks Austin stated on X.
Even with Carter out, Tennessee does have options at linebacker. Amare Campbell, a newcomer who was expected to start this season, is part of that group, along with Edwin Spillman and Jadon Perlotte. The Vols also bring back Jeremiah Telander, another team captain, and could lean on freshmen Brayden Rouse and TJ White, both of whom are expected to be stars in the college world.
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Another Trusted Dana Altman Assistant Is Leaving Oregon At A Tough Time
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His influence showed up in the growth of players such as Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr., who developed into All-Big Ten caliber talents under his watch. Losing a veteran assistant at any point would matter, but it lands differently for Oregon now, with the program trying to stay steady while one of its most experienced voices steps away from the bench. [Read more 🡒]