Arion Carter has spent months waiting for the opportunity he’ll finally get Saturday night.
Carter is set to make his season debut against Georgia Tech after serving a one-game suspension during Tennessee’s 56-9 win over Furman.
“It’s going to be like a breath of fresh air for me,” Carter said. “Honestly, it’s going to be like a sense of relief.”
His teammates have an idea of what that relief could look like on the field.
“I mean, you already know what he’s about to go out there and do,” tight end Ethan Davis said. “I don’t think I really need to say too much.”
Davis said Carter has been “itching” to rejoin his teammates and expects the senior linebacker to “go out there and have a game.”
Defensive lineman Nathan Robinson offered a more colorful warning.
“Oh man, I’m scared,” Robinson joked when asked what Tennessee should expect from Carter. “He’s motivated regardless. But man, he’s gonna be fired up this week.”
Carter believes he’ll return as a better player.
He pointed to improved play recognition, a better understanding of run and pass keys, and increased physicality as areas where he developed this offseason.
Robinson believes Carter’s return can impact the players around him, too.
Having Carter behind Tennessee’s defensive front gives the unit another player it can trust to consistently be in the right position.
“It frees us up more,” Robinson said. “Gives us more confidence knowing that we have a guy like that who’s going to even cover for our mistakes.”
That trust extends well beyond Carter’s play.
Carter said his teammates became his “backbone” as he dealt with the disappointment of his suspension. When they noticed him struggling, Carter said they picked him up and reminded him his opportunity would come.
“We got your back going through Week 1,” Carter recalled his teammates telling him. “And when you get out there Week 2, just show them what you’ve been putting in.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel offered that same support.
Carter said Heupel has stood behind him throughout a difficult eight months.
“Without him and guys like him and supporting staff and the coaches that we have here, I don’t know if I would be able to get through it,” Carter said.
That support was on display Saturday.
Despite Carter being unavailable to play, Heupel selected him as Tennessee’s lone captain against Furman.
“He’s the strongest leader in our locker room,” Heupel said. “He represents Tennessee the exact way that I and our administration, our staff want somebody to represent Tennessee.”
For Carter’s teammates, the decision required little explanation.
“We were behind him regardless of the situation,” Davis said. “We weren’t surprised. It wasn’t like anything that was out of the ordinary. Like, that’s just AC.”
Carter has also tried to turn the circumstances surrounding his suspension into something positive.
He announced he will donate $427 for every tackle he records this season to cancer research. The figure matches the dollar amount connected to the violation that resulted in his suspension.
The cause is personal. Carter’s girlfriend has undergone cancer treatment in recent months, and Carter said seeing that experience firsthand changed his perspective.
Heupel said the pledge is another reflection of Carter’s character.
“I think it’s indicative of who he is,” Heupel said. “He’s passionate about a cause for multiple reasons. Obviously, his girlfriend, but his family history as well.”
His teammates see it the same way.
Robinson called Carter a “grown man” and pointed to the financial commitment Carter is making with every tackle.
“I love AC and he’s just a great person and he loves his teammates,” Robinson said. “That’s a crap ton of money that he’s being selfless about.”
Davis was also impressed with how Carter responded to the situation.
“He handled it with character, handled it with maturity,” Davis said. “For every tackle he’s going to make that donation. So, proud of him.”
Carter spent Saturday leading Tennessee in a different way.
He walked to midfield alone as the Vols’ captain before watching his teammates run through the T without him. Carter said the experience gave him a different appreciation for the opportunity to play college football.
“We get to, not have to,” Carter said.
This Saturday, Carter gets to run out with them again.
After leading Tennessee from the sideline in Week 1, he’ll have his first opportunity to lead from the middle of its defense.
“I get to go just put it on display and, you know, put it on tape as we like to say,” Carter said. “It’s going to be a great moment. I can’t wait.”
