Tennessee LB Arion Carter declares for 2026 NFL Draft, opts out of bowl

Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and opted out of the Music City Bowl, he announced on Dec. 12 on his Instagram account.

"So with a lot a lot of prayer and conversations with my family and those closest to me, I've decided to declare for the NFL draft," Carter wrote.

Carter, an All-SEC second-team selection, is projected as an early or mid-round pick.

In the 2025 season, Carter played 10 games with nine starts while dealing with foot injuries. He had 76 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Carter, a 6-foot-1, 235-pounder from Smyrna, played 31 games with 22 starts over his three-year UT career. He missed part of his 2023 freshman season due to a shoulder injury. But he bounced back with a breakout season in 2024 on a top-10 defense.

No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Nashville. UT has a few different options to fill Carter's spot in the bowl game.

Redshirt freshman Edwin Spillman is the obvious choice because he rotated with Carter throughout the season. Jeremiah Telander is the other starting linebacker. Carter, Spillman and Telander were interchangeable.

Freshmen Jadon Perlotte and Jaedon Harmon also should get increased playing time.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Arion Carter: Tennessee LB declares for 2026 NFL Draft, opts out of bowl