Arion Carter’s combination of speed, strength and athleticism led to him being Tennessee Football’s representative on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List for The Athletic on Monday. Carter came in at No. 12 on the list of the 101 freak athletes in college football.
“The 6-1, 235-pound junior had a breakout season in 2024, leading a stacked defense with 68 tackles to go with 6.5 TFLs and one interception,” Feldman wrote. “The junior will linebacker, a team captain, is a more explosive athlete than most running backs.
“This offseason, Carter, a former 300-meter hurdler in high school, vertical jumped 40.3 inches. He’s also hit 21.2 mph on the GPS and bench pressed 325 pounds.”
Arion Carter is Tennessee’s leading returning tackler in 2025
No. 1 on Feldman’s list is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, ahead of Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 2, then South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor at No. 3.
No. 4 is Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington, followed by No. 5 Peter Woods (Clemson defensive tackle), No. 6 Dominick McKinley (LSU defensive tackle), No. 7 Logan Jones (Iowa center), No. 8 Zane Durant (Penn State defensive tackle), No. 9 Kendrick Faulk (Auburn defensive lineman), No. 10 Sonny Styles (Ohio State linebacker) and No. 11 Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon tight end).
Carter is Tennessee’s leading tackler among returning players. As a sophomore last season he had 68 tackles — 29 solo, 39 assists — with seven tackles for loss and an interception. He had six passes defended.
As a freshman in 2023 he appeared in eight games, finishing with 17 tackles and one tackle for loss.
Carter was a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, with the Vols beating out Alabama for his commitment. He was the No. 11 linebacker in the country and the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee, out of Smyrna High School.
‘He’s making sure the rest of the guys are doing the same things’
On Saturday Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge described in Carter a player who matches on-field athletic ability and talent with off-field work ethic — and he’s bringing his teammates along with him.
“When you come here in the morning, he’ll be the first one here,” Inge said. “You come here at night, he’ll be the last one leaving. And now I think from a leadership standpoint, what he’s done is really turn into the player-led organization part of the program, where he’s making sure the rest of the guys are doing some of those same things. So it’s not just him dealing with the linebackers, but him also dealing with the secondary, D-line, O-line and just his communication that he has around the guys on the team.
“And that’s what you want when you take the next step in leadership,” Inge added. “And he’s also doing the same thing we talk all the time where in order for you to be a dominant linebacker, dominant player that’s known, it is about leadership and production and he’s producing on the field as well.”