Tennessee LB coach William Inge says Arion Carter’s ‘punishment doesn’t fit the crime’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Tennessee captain and senior linebacker Arion Carter will miss the first two games of the Vols’ 2026 season after being suspended by the NCAA for an impermissible $427 flight.
Carter originally intended to enter the NFL Draft after completing his junior season but decided to return to Knoxville while dealing with some injury concerns. Before making the decision to return, Carter signed with an agent and accepted a $427 flight to an NFL pre-draft training facility. When he determined that he would not be going pro in 2026, he severed ties with the agent and repaid the $427 flight.
The NCAA suspended him anyway.
Josh Heupel called out the NCAA, calling the ruling “bullsh–” this past week. Vols linebacker coach William Inge became the latest Tennessee coach to speak out against the punishment on Saturday.
“It was a disappointing scenario,” Inge said, via Knox News. “Disappointment would be the right word to use at this point in time because you’re dealing with a landscape that has evolved versus a rule that is kind of extinct. I’m disappointed because the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”
Carter led the SEC in tackles per game last season (7.6 TPG) and is set to lead one of the deepest linebacker rooms in the SEC this season. But while the Vols get an easy matchup in Week 1 against Furman, Carter’s absence will surely be felt in Week 2 as the Vols travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
