Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge released from hospital before Alabama game

Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge is out of the hospital. The 52-year-old was discharged from UT Medical Center on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and has started rehabilitation, he said in a post on X the next day, The Tennessean's Adam Sparks reported. He had been hospitalized since mid-September.

The school first disclosed the hospitalization in September and described it only as a personal medical issue, according to ESPN and CBS Sports. The news came just before the Vols played top-ranked Texas. Tennessee has not given further details about his condition. Josh Heupel struck a hopeful tone after the 24-17 win at Arkansas on Oct. 10. The head coach called Inge's recovery a miracle and said he expected him to be discharged around the middle of this week. That is what happened.

In his post, Inge thanked the hospital staff, the fan base and the program. He said he will be watching rather than coaching this weekend: "I'll be our guys' biggest fan this weekend," he wrote, as quoted by The Tennessean. The release is not a return to the sideline. Tennessee will keep spreading Inge's duties among analysts and other assistants, the paper reported. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles coached linebackers for much of his career. Players and coaches have worn "Inge Built" shirts during his absence.

Inge is in his third season on Heupel's staff and his 28th as a coach. He was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Washington when the Huskies reached the national title game in the 2023 season. Before that, he coached at Fresno State and Indiana. His son, Isaiah, was a walk-on defensive lineman for the Vols in 2024 and 2025.

What it means for Alabama

The timing gives the week before the Third Saturday in October an emotional lift. The Xs and Os stay the same. Tennessee is 5-1 and has played well on defense without Inge in the building. After a 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas, the Vols beat Auburn 24-14 and then won 24-17 at Arkansas. Earlier, they rolled past Furman 56-9, Georgia Tech 45-24 and Kennesaw State 42-9. No opponent in the last three games has scored more than 20. That marks a clear change from the high-scoring nonconference stretch and suggests the interim setup at linebacker is holding.

Alabama arrives at Neyland Stadium ranked No. 6 by ESPN. Kickoff is Saturday, Oct. 17, on ABC. The market makes the visitors clear favorites. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, Alabama is favored at -300 to win outright on Novig, which has Tennessee at +285. Novig has Alabama -7.5 at -113 and Tennessee +7.5 at +102. The best Tennessee number anywhere is FanDuel's +8.5 at -110, a full point more than Novig offers. The total sits at 51.5 on Novig, with the over at -108 and the under at -100. Bet365 has the high end at 52.5, with the under at -121.

The venues are close on this game, mostly a point apart on the spread and the total. Sportsbook hold ranges from 3.3% to 6.7% on the spread and from 4.2% to 5.9% on the moneyline. A one-score spread and a total in the low 50s point to a game that should stay within reach. Tennessee has played that kind of game all season, and its only loss came by three points against the top team in the country.