Tennessee’s two newest four-star linebackers already have a blueprint for how they’ll get on the field, and it starts somewhere other than linebacker.
Brayden Rouse and TJ White arrived in Knoxville as early enrollees, then spent spring camp, summer workouts and now fall camp getting a feel for what it takes to stick with the Vols. Both are rising freshmen with plenty of long-term upside, but the early path to meaningful snaps is clear.
“Coach Inge says all the time, you’ve got to start at special teams before you see the field,” Rouse said to the media earlier this week. “So, just go out there, do what I can do, keep working, and leave it to the coaches.”
White said the same idea from his end, making it plain that there’s “no (playing time) at linebacker” until a player first earns trust on special teams. “Special teams is very important,” White said.
That approach lines up with what Tennessee showed a year ago. As a freshman, Jaedon Harmon played in all 13 games and was a “mainstay on Tennessee’s special teams units,” according to his UTSports bio. Fellow freshman linebacker Jadon Perlotte also appeared in all 13 games, and his role grew from special teams into more linebacker work in October, November and December.
That’s the route Tennessee linebackers are expected to take under Inge: prove it on special teams, then get a bigger chance if the door opens in the defensive rotation.
Inge said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen from his young players this offseason.
“Well, just them continuing to understand the standard of how we practice, them improving in the fundamental play when it comes to hands inside, thumbs to the sky, keeping your eyes exactly where they’re supposed to be from a footwork and body position standpoint,” Inge said on Saturday. “Because if we can make sure that their foundation is built correctly, they will be limitless with the talent that they have.”
The challenge for Rouse and White is the depth chart ahead of them. Tennessee’s linebacker room remains crowded, even with the season-ending injury to sophomore Jaedon Harmon during fall camp. The group still includes seniors Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander and Amare Campbell, along with junior Edwin Spillman and sophomore Jadon Perlotte, who is moving fast.
That means the freshman duo may have to wait for their real chance at linebacker. But they know exactly what Tennessee wants to see first, and where they need to show it.
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