William Inge on Vols freshman LB Edwin Spillman: 'You'll know who No. 13 is when he's on the field'
Al Wilson was on hand for Tennessee Football’s third practice of fall camp Saturday morning and William Inge’s group of linebackers could feel his presence.
Specifically, Inge said after practice, freshman Edwin Spillman could feel it.
“Because he is walking in the footsteps of someone like that for sure,” Inge said while meeting with reporters.
It’s Spillman, the 6-foot-1, 234-pound freshman linebacker from Nashville, that is making his presence known in practice.
“You’ll know who No. 13 is when he’s on the field,” Inge said. “It was No. 47 in the spring, it’s No. 13 now. Everyone knows who he is and you all will know for sure.”
Edwin Spillman: Four-star prospect, ranked No. 29 LB in 2024 recruiting class
Spillman, who was listed at 220 pounds as a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, confirmed after practice he has put on roughly 15 pounds since arriving at Tennessee. Inge said you can see every bit of it in his game.
“From a physicality standpoint,” Inge said, “he is exactly what you want to see him growing and developing each day as a coach. It is so gratifying and satisfying.”
Spillman, the younger brother of Tennessee receiver Nate Spillman, had a game-high six tackles in the Orange & White Game in April at Neyland Stadium, making his unofficial debut with the Vols.
He was already turning the heads of his teammates at the time.
“He’s done a great job of just learning and listening to us,” Tennessee linebacker Jeremiah Tealander said. “I think the LBs – the older guys – we’ve done a great job of just asking him where he needs help and giving him pointers.
“Whether it’s staying after meetings or walking through something, Edwin has done a great job. He’s going to continue to progress.”
‘It’s little techniques that just helped me get that much better’
Spillman said Saturday he’s a different linebacker on the other side of the summer after growing his mental game. He described himself as one of the “dual guys” who are working at both the Mike and Will linebacker during fall camp.
“I feel like I’ve gotten way better,” Spillman said, “just way more in depth with the playbook and knowing what everybody else is doing and what the Mike and the Will are doing. So I feel like my knowledge of the game became a whole lot better just from being in a linebacker room with Coach Inge and all the older guys for three months or so.”
Tennessee hired Inge in February, roughly a month after Spillman and the other enrollees from the 2024 signing class arrived on campus. In the sixth months since, Inge and Spillman have grown together.
“He’s been really helpful towards me learning the playbook,” Spillman said. “It’s little techniques just helped me get that much better just from learning under him and him teaching me also. So it’s been super helpful and been a blessing to work with Coach Inge.”
