Former Tennessee Vols team captain who suffered brutal injury in 2024 gets a tryout opportunity with NFL team

Former Tennessee Vols linebacker Keenan Pili's time in Knoxville was one filled with unfortunate injuries. A 2024 team captain, Pili spent two years at Tennessee from 2023-24 after transferring from BYU.

Unfortunately, his time on the field ended prematurely in both seasons. In 2023, Pili suffered an arm injury in the Vols' 49-13 season-opening win over Virginia, which ultimately cost him the rest of the season.

Last season, Pili had seemed to find his groove in the middle of a terrific Tennessee defense. However, he went down with an ACL tear in the first quarter of the Vols' 23-17 overtime win over the Florida Gators back in October, a crushing end to Pili's college career. He was tied for Tennessee's lead in tackles at the time of the injury, which was his second ACL tear and third season-ending injury of his college career.

However, Pili is now at least getting a shot at continuing his career in the NFL. According to the NFL transaction report from Tuesday, the New Orleans Saints gave Pili a try out opportunity, along with 8 other players. Pili was one of two linebackers in the group, along with former Cincinnati Bearcat Jared Bartlett.

It's obviously a good sign that Pili, just a little over 9 months from his injury, is at a point where he's able to try out for an NFL roster spot. Obviously, the odds are stacked against him, but all you can ask for is a chance, and it looks like Pili will get at least that. We'll see this week if he earns a contract and an extended stay in Saints' training camp.