Josh Heupel updates the status of injured Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili
The update from Josh Heupel on Wednesday made it sound like linebacker Keenan Pili still isn’t close to making his return from injury. But the BYU transfer is doing everything he can to get back on the field as quickly as he can.
“He’s fighting his butt off to get back as soon as possible,” Heupel said during his appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “And obviously we feel like he’s a difference maker.”
Pili has been sidelined since suffering an arm injury in the season-opening 49-13 win over Virginia on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
No. 19 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) comes off the bye week to host Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS) at Neyland Stadium.
Pili has missed the last four games. The Vols have seven games left on schedule, with road games at No. 11 Alabama and No. 24 Kentucky after this week’s game against A&M. In November Tennessee has home games against UConn (November 4), No. 1 Georgia (November 18) and Vanderbilt (November 25), along with a road game at Missouri (November 11).
“We’ll see where we’re at here a little bit week by week,” Heupel said. “He’s not ready to go in this one, but we’ll continue to see where he is at.”
Keenan Pili had four tackles, earned game ball against Virginia
The absence of Pili has forced freshmen linebacker Elijah Herring and Arion Carter into more playing time, with freshman Jeremiah Telander getting more playing time in the rotation more recently.
Herring is second on the team in tackles with 30.0 and has 2.0 tackles for loss. Carter has 13.0 tackles and Telander has 11.0.
“I think the more they play,” Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said during his press conference after Tuesday’s practice, “obviously the better they’ll get, the more comfortable they’ll get. You always want to play the guys’ strengths and put them in the best possible situations to be successful. But there is no substitution for playing. I mean it really is.
“And I looked out there one time (against South Carolina), I saw Telander and AC (Arion Carter) out there at the same time. It’s just what it is man, two true freshmen playing in big football games. But that’s what they signed up for, that’s why we recruited them.”
Pili finished the Virginia game with four tackles, including two solo tackles. He earned a game ball after the win, after playing 30 snaps, fourth most on the team. His 80.0 grade from Pro Football Focus was also fourth highest for the Vols in Week 1.
No. 19 Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Pili, a native of Provo, Utah, was a three-star prospect in the 2016 recruiting cycle out of Timpview High School. He was ranked No. 107 among linebackers in the class and No. 12 overall in the state of Utah.
The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Pili spent the last four years at BYU. He had 191 tackles in 34 career games at BYU, including 62 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks in 12 games last season. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during his time with the Cougars.
While sidelined with the Vols, Pili has taken on the role of helping develop Tennessee’s younger linebackers that are playing in his place.
“Our young guys are continuing to step up at that position,” Heupel said, “but Keenan’s a special leader and he still has been even while he has been out.
“He’s one of the first ones in the building constantly watching film. I think he’s been a real help to the young guys that are out there on the football field.”
