Former Tennessee linebacker Elijah Herring found his new home in the transfer portal on Friday and he’s staying in the Volunteer State. Herring is continuing his collegiate career at Memphis after spending his first two seasons at Tennessee.
— Elijah Herring (@ElijahHerring12) May 10, 2024
Herring started the vast majority of his sophomore season for Tennessee after linebacker Keenan Pili suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in the season opener against Virginia.
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound linebacker totaled 79 tackles (32 solo tackles), one sack and one pass deflection in his sophomore season while starting alongside Aaron Beasley.
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While Herring was solid for a large part of the season, he struggled down the stretch of the 2024 season. With Pili returning from injury and Tennessee boasting a handful of talented rising sophomore linebackers including Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter, it was not likely that Herring would start for Tennessee next season.
However, if Herring stayed at Tennessee then he would have remained in the two-deep and had a very real role on Tim Banks’ defense.
Herring had previously visited Deion Sanders and Colorado after entering the transfer portal this spring but hadn’t visited any other schools.
The rising junior linebacker joins a Memphis program that’s remained solid under head coach Ryan Silverfield. Silverfield succeeded Mike Norvell who has been very successful in his four seasons at Florida State. In Silverfield’s four seasons at Memphis, the Tigers have posted a 31-18 record including a 10-3 record and a Liberty Bowl victory a season ago.
Herring is a Newburn, Georgia native but did play his high school football at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro so he has ties to the Volunteer State besides the University of Tennessee.
