Tennessee Linebacker Keenan Pili (ACL) Out for the Rest of the Year
The eleventh-ranked Tennessee team will have to continue their season without linebacker and top tackler Keenan Pili, as coach Josh Heupel announced on Monday that Pili has a torn ACL.
Pili, who is also a team captain, suffered the injury during the first defensive series in the Volunteers' overtime win against Florida on Saturday. Despite walking off the field on his own, he was unable to return to the game.
Heupel praised Pili's character and leadership after the game, saying, "I'm not sure there's a better representative of what a Volunteer is than Keenan Pili. You talk about a selfless guy that cares about the people around him way more than he cares about himself, that's an elite competitor, great leader, tough as nails, athletic, explosive -- everything that you want. Just ... he's a dude, man. Special dude."
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Pili had recorded 29 tackles in six games for the Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) before his injury.
This is not the first time Pili has faced a season-ending injury. In his second season at Tennessee, after spending five seasons at BYU, he was injured in the team's 2023 season opener and missed the rest of the season.
In his 43 career games, Pili has accumulated 223 tackles, 15 for loss, 3.5 sacks, four deflections, and two fumble recoveries with one forced fumble.
