{"id":164706,"date":"2022-12-22T00:22:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T00:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/transfer-linebacker-commits-to-tennessee\/"},"modified":"2022-12-22T00:22:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T00:22:07","slug":"transfer-linebacker-commits-to-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/transfer-linebacker-commits-to-tennessee\/","title":{"rendered":"Transfer linebacker commits to Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BYU transfer linebacker Keenan Battery<\/b><\/b> committed and signed with Tennessee on Wednesday, the Provo, Utah native announced on social media just before the Vols also confirmed his signing.<\/p>\n

Pili just finished his fourth season with the Cougars where he was a team captain. In years at BYU, Pili totaled 190 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two fumble recovers and a forced fumble. He’s played in 36 career games and has made 95 solo tackles.<\/p>\n

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HOME?? COMMITTED pic.twitter.com\/XVDCHUUhAZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Keenan Battery<\/b> (@KeenanPili7) December 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Home sweet home!<\/p>\n

Welcome to Rocky Top!@KeenanPili7<\/a> | #RockyTop<\/a> ?? pic.twitter.com\/j5IOCNvgM8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a redshirt-junior this past season, Pili made 62 tackles with 4.0 TFL’s, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. 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.<\/p>\n

Pili was a three-star recruit coming out of Timpview High School in Provo. The 6-foot-3, 237-pound linebacker was considered the No. 909 overall player in the 247Sports composite, as well as the No. 57 overall outside linebacker and No. 14 players in the state of Utah. He redshirted as a freshman and was a member on the scout team in 2016 before serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orlando, Florida from 2017-19.<\/p>\n

His brother, Trajan, played defensive line at BYU (2013, 2016-19), as did his his father’s cousin, Ifo Pili, in 1997-98, 2001-03.<\/p>\n

In his first season following his mission, he played in 11 games in 2019 with one start against USC. Pili totaled 25 tackles, including 17 solo tackles, that year. He then had a breakout redshirt-sophomore season in 2020 when he finished second on the team in total tackles with 72. Pili started eight of 10 games on his way to earning Second Team All-Independent honors. He was also named the Boca Raton Bowl Defensive MVP after BYU’s 49-23 win over UCF.<\/p>\n

Pili was a Semper Fi All-American as a safety coming out of high school. He was named to Salt Lake Tribune Coaches’ All-State Class 4A Second Team in 2015 where he helped Timpview to an 11-2 record en route to an appearance in the UHSAA 4A State Football Championship game. As a senior he recorded 70 tackles, one sack, three fumble recoveries and one blocked field goal.<\/p>\n

Tennessee signed three inside linebackers out of the class of 2023 Wednesday morning prior to announcing the addition of Pili. The Vols add four-star Arion Carter<\/b> out of Smyrna, Tennessee, four-star Jane Smith<\/b> out of Loganville, Georgia and three-star Jeremiah Telander<\/b> out of Gainesville, Georgia.<\/p>\n

Pili is the fourth player to transfer to Tennessee this December. He joins Texas offensive lineman Andrej Karic<\/b>UC Davis tight end McCallan Castles<\/b> and Indiana kicker Charles Campbell<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n