| No. 13 – Tennessee Volunteers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class |  Redshirt Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 5, 2005[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| College | Tennessee (2024–present) |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Edwin Michael Spillman (born Abdul Aman Gi Bindu November 5, 2005)[1] is a Sierra Leonean-born American college football linebacker for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Early life
[edit]Spillman was born in Sierra Leone and lived in a small village called Shanghai.[2] His birth name was Abdul Aman Gi Bindu,[3] and he was the son of a rice and peanut farmer, who died in a ferry accident with several other farmers when Spillman was young.[4] His mother, Konima, tried to raise him and his brothers Foday and Sufian, but without an income, eventually had to put them up for adoption.[4] The three were adopted by an American family and moved to the U.S. in 2013.[4]
Spillman attended Lipscomb Academy and played football there as a linebacker, helping them to consecutive Division II state championships.[5] Coached by Trent Dilfer, he had his best season as a junior when he totaled 101 tackles, 14.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), two sacks and six pass breakups.[6] In his high school carer, he posted 305 tackles and 49 tackles-for-loss.[6] He was a MaxPreps Junior All-American and earned selection to the all-state team in 2022, then earned all-region honors in 2023.[7] A four-star prospect, Spillman was ranked a top-10 linebacker recruit nationally and the best player in the state.[8] He committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, joining his brother Nate.[9]
College career
[edit]Spillman redshirted as a true freshman at Tennessee in 2024, appearing in four games while posting six tackles.[7] After an injury to Arion Carter in 2025, he became a starter, leading the team in tackles through 10 games.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b @ESpillman13 (November 5, 2022). "Blessed to see 17!! Thankful for my Parents, Brothers, and my Coaches! Everyone has played a great part to get me to where I am right now. #thankfultoday" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ Hall, Ted; Morgan-Rumsey, Camruinn (August 17, 2025). "30 Days 30 Vols: #13 Edwin Spillman". WSMV-TV.
}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Tarwater, Brittany (November 1, 2025). "'So fortunate to be here' | Edwin Spillman's journey around the world to Rocky Top". WVLT-TV.
- ^ a b c Spears, Joseph (November 22, 2022). "From Sierra Leone to Lipscomb Academy: Spillman brothers' hard road to Power Five prospects". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2025-11-21 – via archive.today.
- ^ Robinson, George (July 30, 2023). "Incredible Journey". Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 1B, 7B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Hall, Cora (September 15, 2025). "Edwin Spillman praises Trent Dilfer before reunion in Tennessee football vs UAB game". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2025-11-21 – via archive.today.
- ^ a b "Edwin Spillman". Tennessee Volunteers.
- ^ Spears, Joseph (October 23, 2022). "Beasley's goal after UT commitment: Get state's No. 1 player to join Vols". The Tennessean. p. B7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robinson, George (July 21, 2023). "4-star Lipscomb Academy LB Edwin Spillman commits to Tennessee football over Ohio State". The Tennessean.
- ^ Paschall, David (November 19, 2025). "Vols linebacker Edwin Spillman savoring starting opportunity". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
