Former Tennessee linebacker Kalib Perry is headed back to Louisville for one more run.
On3’s Joe Tipton first reported Saturday that Perry will return for his fifth and final year of eligibility. He had already run out of eligibility, but lawsuits around the country led the NCAA to grant high school class of 2022 graduates an extra season, opening the door for players like Perry to keep going.
That development gives Louisville a familiar piece to work with again in the near future.
Perry’s college career began at Tennessee, where he spent his first three seasons from 2022 through 2024 as a rotational inside linebacker. The Georgetown, Kentucky, native finished that stretch with 61 tackles and one forced fumble. His most productive year in Knoxville came in 2024, when he put up 26 tackles and that forced fumble.
A former three-star recruit, Perry was used as a backup inside linebacker and in third-and-long situations during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His workload grew in his junior year, when he became an every-down linebacker.
That season, Perry logged a 65.5 PFF grade across 234 snaps. He ranked as Tennessee’s third-best linebacker behind Jalen Smith and Keenan Pili, and ahead of Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.
At Louisville in 2025, Perry’s role grew again. He started four games, played 357 snaps and delivered a career-high 55 tackles.
He also picked off the first pass of his college career. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker is now set to add one more season to that resume.
Louisville is in its fourth year under head coach Jeff Brohm and is trying to take another step by reaching the College Football Playoffs for the first time. The Cardinals went 9-4 last season and are 28-12 under Brahm.
Tennessee, meanwhile, heads toward the 2026 season with a deep linebacker room that includes Arion Carter, Amare Campbell, Edwin Spillman, Jeremiah Telander and Jadon Perlotte. The Vols are thinner on the defensive line and in the secondary, and could look to add a fifth-year player at either of those spots.
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