In the early part of the 2026 season, Tennessee football linebackers coach William Inge was hospitalized as he dealt with a personal medical issue. After positive developments in his recovery, Inge has been focused on his health as he recovers from the scare.

While he won’t be coaching in the Vols’ game against Kentucky on Saturday, he is in attendance. Inge was at UT’s Vol Walk before the game and was greeting players and coaches as they walked into the stadium.

“Coach Inge and his family, but Coach Inge faced a ton of adversity and was really fighting for his life,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the Vols’ win at Arkansas last month. “And it kind of came out of nowhere. And I just – there’s a lot of people that have been praying, our football family, university, but our fans, too. And sometimes it’s rare in this world that you get to see a true miracle right before your eyes. But that’s truly what we’ve been able to see following Coach Inge. And that’s what his family has seen, too.

“He’s doing really well. He should be able to get out of the hospital here in the middle of next week, hopefully, and begin his rehab process. But if you ever question the power of prayer, anybody that’s seen this can attest to the power of prayer. And so I just wanna thank our Vol family and people across the country, inside of college football, that have had him in their prayers. So very thankful that he’s coming out the other side of it.”

good to have you back, @WilliamInge1 🙏 https://t.co/yrmCgpBGoD

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 7, 2026

Inge is in his third season with Tennessee under Josh Heupel. He was one of the few coaches who were retained by Jim Knowles when he took over defensive coordinator duties this offseason. Inge also served as the Vols’ interim defensive coordinator in the Music City Bowl in 2025.

Prior to his time with UT, Inge was the co-defensive coordinator under Kalen DeBoer at Washington. He had the chance to follow DeBoer to Alabama, but decided to join Heupel and the Vols instead.

From 2020-21, Inge was the defensive coordinator at Fresno State. From 2018-19, he served as the special teams coordinator at Indiana. That stint with the Hoosiers was an elevation after being on staff in various roles starting in 2013.

Inge also has brief experience in the NFL. He was an assistant defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2012 before leaving for Indiana. That came after he served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Buffalo from 2010-11. Other stops in his career include Cincinnati, San Diego State, Colorado, Northern Iowa and Iowa. He was with the Hawkeyes from 1998-2000 as a graduate assistant after playing defensive line for Iowa from 1993-96.

Inge is married to his wife, Rae Ann, and has three children, Isaiah, Keara and Raya. Isaiah was a defensive lineman for Tennessee in 2024 and 2025.