Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili has received an extension of eligibility waiver from the NCAA and will return for a second season on Rocky Top in 2024, Pili announced on social media Friday afternoon.The waiver was approved earlier in the day on Friday according to a Tennessee official, allowing Pili the opportunity to return for his seventh season of college football. In a message on a graphic he shared on social media, Pili said:“Vol Nation, thank you for accepting me into the family here in Knoxville. Let’s run it back in 2024!”
Pili suffered an upper-body injury in Tennessee’s season-opening win over Virginia on Sept. 2 that proved to cost him the remainder of the season. The Vols landed Pili from BYU out of the transfer portal in December and was as an important addition to the middle of the defense for his leadership and experience, plus his ability on the field as a run defender in the box and out in space with his range and coverage skills. Pili was a two-time team captain for the Cougars and totaled 190 tackles in 36 career games there. He started 24 times at BYU.
In final season at BYU in 2022, Pili made 62 tackles with 4.0 TFL’s, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as a redshirt junior. His season was cut short the year prior in 2021 due to a season-ending injury. In the three games he was able to play, he recorded 31 tackles, 3.5 TFL’s, 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry. Pili recorded a career-high 17 tackles and a tackle for loss in a 24-16 win over Arizona.
