By Habari Entertainment | November 10, 2026
Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week award after recording 13 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss in the Volunteers’ 34–6 victory over No. 6 Kentucky.
The Football Writers Association of America announced the honor Tuesday for games played the weekend of Nov. 7. Carter is Tennessee’s first recipient since the weekly award began in 2001.
Carter, a senior from Smyrna, Tennessee, served as a game captain and led the Volunteers with a season-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops. His two sacks and four tackles for loss were career highs. Tennessee also announced that he received the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week and Bednarik Player of the Week awards. University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee kept Kentucky out of the end zone for the first time this season before a sold-out crowd at Neyland Stadium. It was the second time this season the Volunteers held an opponent without a touchdown.
The 13 tackles were the third-highest total of Carter’s career and marked his fifth game with double-digit stops. His performance included a fourth-quarter stop on fourth-and-one that gave Tennessee possession.
Carter now leads Tennessee with 59 tackles. His season totals include nine tackles for loss, four sacks, four quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries, according to the FWAA release.
Tennessee research cited by the association places Carter among just five SEC players in the past 20 seasons to record at least 13 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in one game. He is the third in that group to finish with at least 10 solo tackles.
The 28-point victory tied for Tennessee’s second-largest winning margin against an AP top-10 opponent.
Carter’s contributions extend beyond football. A donation program tied to his defensive statistics has generated $27,193this season for Nashville-area cancer treatments through Sisters Network Nashville, according to the FWAA. He is also a William V. Campbell Trophy finalist and a member of the National Football Foundation’s 2026 National Scholar-Athlete Class.
This was the final Nagurski weekly award of the season. The FWAA and Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce the national trophy finalists Nov. 19. The award will be presented Dec. 7 at the Charlotte Convention Center, with the winner also announced during ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 11.
Tennessee has had three previous Nagurski Trophy finalists — Al Wilson in 1998, John Henderson in 2000 and Eric Berry in 2009 — but has yet to produce a winner.
The Volunteers, 7–2 overall and 4–2 in the SEC, travel to Texas A&M on Saturday for a 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff on ESPN, or 1 p.m. Arizona time. The Aggies enter at 4–5 overall and 1–5 in conference play.
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Editorial note: The release inconsistently refers to “four sacks.” Tennessee’s official announcement confirms two sacks and four tackles for loss, which are the figures used here. University of Tennessee Athletics
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