Everything Keenan Pili said Monday about his decision to return to Tennessee

Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili met with reporters to on Monday discuss his decision to return to the Vols for the 2024 season, after suffering a season-ending injury in the win over Virginia on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Here’s everything Pili said during the press conference:

How he can help this Tennessee team in the lead up to the Citrus Bowl, even though he can’t play in the game

“Just doing what kind of I’ve been doing all year. Doing what I can, whether that be on the scout team or just coaching up some of the players in the room or on the defense. I think just doing that aspect or most of my work being done in the meeting room, I think is really helpful to do that.”

What he can envision himself accomplishing next season by returning to Tennessee

“I felt like obviously this season I didn’t want to get injured. Didn’t want to miss it, and kind of that feeling of wanting to finish why I came. And I wasn’t planning on being here another year, but excited to be a part of that. So just to come back and finish what I wanted to start and to have a good year and to see that would be amazing.”

Where he’s at physically at this point, three and a half months removed from the injury

“I mean I’ve been told many times I’m really ahead of schedule for where the triceps should be. So I’m just taking that day by day and understanding I’m not doing the bowl game, so now I’m just trying to make sure I can get fully healthy as I progress along the way. Not really resting anything. So I’m getting stronger, getting back, feeling better. So I’m excited.”

How players look at transfers coming to Tennessee

“We get excited. We know a team may have needs or a person might transfer in and you get excited as a teammate to not only compete but be able to learn from good players and be able to kind of gather their experiences. Because some of those transfer guys have played a lot of football, so I think it’s exciting one way. And another part, accepting those guys into the brotherhood is a big piece because they got to get used to this culture pretty quickly as they’re coming to a new system.”

What he saw from Tennessee’s young linebackers (Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, Kalib Perry) after he was lost to injury

“I’ve seen a lot of, I know I’ve said it before, but I feel like they didn’t look like young guys out there, what people would expect. They looked like they’ve been playing the game and I couldn’t be more excited being a part of that room, to see some of those young guys do that. Especially fresh out of high school. To me, that’s big time. Some guys got probably a lot more time than they were expecting to play in these big games in the SEC. So to see them succeed, to see them do what they do, I think is a great learning experience and it’s going to help us into this next year as well.”

What he learned while being sidelined this season 

“Probably just over emphasizing that any play could be your last play and trying to make that play the best play ever. So I was just keeping that mentality. I’ve been injured before and injuries are a part of the game of football, so as you play the game you just got to be grateful for those moments. You have time with your brothers and you know, every opportunity you get to play this game is, is a good opportunity.”

The biggest factors in his decision to return to Tennessee for another season

“I think diving into Tennessee, this program, it was really easy for me to say, man, I’d love to come back. Who wouldn’t want to be here for another year? I think that had to do with a big part of me wanting to come back rather than leaving. I say it all the time, but I love the coaches here, love the coaching staff, love the culture that was brought here and love my teammates and I think that’s a big part of why I love being here, why I would want come back another year as well.”

When he first started having conversations about possibly returning to Tennessee

“It was later in the year (when) I was making those decisions. But I knew had another year coming into Tennessee that I had, I would be able to get a waiver from previous years. So I wasn’t too worried about that. I just didn’t really talk about it a lot that I had two years left. But I did have another year. So it was pretty easy I think to get.”

How much the defensive coaching staff played a part in him coming back

“I know these coaches had my best interest (in mind). So a lot of the talks I had was pros and cons, what would it be like coming back. What would it be like if you left, how would all this work out? I think those conversations I have with coaches and certain people really helped me in the long run to make a well-informed decision and something I’m comfortable with and excited about.”

Why the culture of the Tennessee program has been such a good fit for him

“I’ll just credit that to the coaches and what they built from the beginning. They came, obviously I wasn’t here when they first came, but for the players that I’ve talked to since then, coming here, there’s been a big switch in culture. I think that’s kind of why when I was on my visit, I couldn’t help but like, oh yeah, I could play here, I could be here. And that’s why I wanted to commit there. So I think just being able to understand that from the coaches is the big part.”

How difficult it was to go from being a preseason standout to getting injured in the first game of the season

“A lot of players in the position room I think helped me early on. I knew the injury was bad like right after the game and I was pretty down about that. And then as quick as anybody else, I seen anybody, it was the players that was picking me up from my position room and on our team. So they felt a lot. Me having my wife at home has helped a lot through the surgery process for sure. But just staying close with my family, staying close to the coaches and the team here has really helped me.”

If he knew something was wrong during the Virginia game 

“Yeah, I felt it happen in the first quarter. And as a player you just, you’re like, man, there’s no way. And you just played through it. I think the third quarter came, I was like, man, I can barely move my arm. So I was like, man, getting fixed.”