Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili penned a post-injury message to Vol fans on Wednesday.
Pili’s season was cut short last weekend against Florida due to a season-ending ACL injury that was suffered early in the game.
Pili was taken off the field and entered the locker room, returning to the sideline without pads, on crutches, and a knee brace on his right knee.
Tennessee posted the message to social media on Wednesday afternoon:
“Vol Nation –
To my brothers, coaches and staff, thank you for helping me become a better man on and off the field. Let’s go finish what we started!
To my family, wife and baby boy on the way, thank you for sacrificing for me to live my dream. I hope I made you proud.
To Tennessee, friends and fans, thank you for treating me as a family and giving me a place I can always call home. Your love and support has been felt during this time.
To the game of football, I don’t know what the future holds, but thank you for a lifetime of memories I will cherish and never forget.
As hard and confusing as life may be, I thank my Father in Heaven for allowing me to play this game, and I trust His Plan.
Same book, new chapter.
11, VFL.”
Thank you @KeenanPili7 🧡🍊#VFL pic.twitter.com/iNqogKgZd6
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 16, 2024
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Pili suffered the injury on Florida’s opening offensive drive on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. The injury also comes after Pili missed the entire 2023 season with Tennessee after suffering a season-ending injury against Virginia in the season-opener from Nashville.
“I’m not sure there’s a better representative of what a Volunteer is than Keenan Pili,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “You talk about a selfless guy that cares about the people around him way more than he cares about himself. That’s an elite competitor, great leader, tough as nails, athletic, explosive, everything that you want. Just he’s a dude, man. Special dude.”
Pili played four seasons at BYU before transferring to Tennessee prior to the 2023 season. Eager to get on the field with his teammates this season, Pili is currently tied as Tennessee’s leading tackler with 29 tackles despite missing the entire Florida contest.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks have indicated this week that sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Telander will be called upon as Pili’s replacement, though we will also see more Jalen Smith and Kalib Perry as well.
“Yeah, you guys know, man, that’s devastating for us, as a program, you know,” Banks said about Pili. “It’s very rare that you find a great kid but also a great player. And he was having such a great season for us. He’s a smart kid, he’s a leader, you know. My wife went to bed talking about him. She was crushed and she woke up talking about it. So he meant the world to us. He’s just a tremendous kid, tremendous player, great family. It hurts, to be quite honest. Because he put so much work into it, you wanted to see him finish this on his terms.
But the good news is I know he’s going to respond. And this kid is going to be a leader in the community. And I don’t think his football days are over. He’s that talented. So we pray for him, pray for his family, and we wish him nothing but the best. I know he’ll be with us and will continue to be around the program. But yeah, it was extremely hurtful.”
