Tennessee's Keenan Pili suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season

Tennessee will be without starting midfielder and team captain Keenan Pili for the remainder of the season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Saturday's overtime win against Florida, coach Josh Heupel said Monday.

With 29 tackles, Pili is tied for the team lead at Tennessee. He was in his seventh season of college football after beginning his career at BYU. He redshirted his first season at BYU in 2016 and then served a two-year church mission from 2017 to 2019.

Heupel was emotional after Saturday's win as he talked about what Pili has meant to Tennessee during his two injury-plagued seasons in Knoxville, and reiterated those feelings Monday. A year ago, Pili injured his triceps in the first game and missed the rest of the season. He was granted a medical redshirt for his seventh season.

“I said after the (Florida) game that there is no one who represents Tennessee better than him,” Heupel said Monday. “He is a great leader and will continue to be so in our home. He and his family are heartbroken. A guy who does absolutely everything right. A special player, but also a special person. He has a great future.”

Pili has been a key part of Tennessee's defense, which hasn't allowed more than 19 points in the first six games this season. The Vols rank second nationally in total defense (249.8 yards per game) and fourth nationally in scoring defense (10.7 points per game). They give up just 4.04 yards per play, which also ranks second nationally.

Sophomore Jeremiah Telander will step in for Pili at middle linebacker, and junior Kalib Perry will also be in line for more playing time. Telander has played in all six games this season and was the Vols' top freshman tackler a year ago.