Former Tennessee safety Christian Charles committed to Virginia football on Tuesday night ahead of his final year of college eligibility.
Charles entered the transfer portal two weeks prior after the conclusion of Tennessee football’s spring practice. The Georgia native was one of three Tennessee safeties that entered the portal in the spring window along with Jakobe Thomas and John Slaughter.
“Beyond grateful for my time as a VOL,” Charles posted on X. “KNOXVILLE HAS BEEN GREAT TO ME. I’m thankful for my time spent here. But I think it’s time to do what’s best for me and my family! I’ll forever bleed orange GBO.”
Charles played in 30 games and started in seven in his four seasons as Tennessee, playing throughout the defensive backfield. Injuries plagued Charles during his freshman season in 2021 and then more prominently in 2023 when he suffered a season ending injury after the Vols’ first two games of the season.
Serving as a backup safety in 2024, Charles totaled 28 tackles as a redshirt junior. Over the course of his career, Charles totaled 71 tackles, three tackles for loss, one pass deflection and a fumble recovery in Tennessee’s iconic win over Alabama in 2022.
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Charles logged 240 defensive snaps over the court of the 2024 season, earning a 62.0 PFF grade. He played a season-high 29 snaps in home wins over Alabama and Kentucky. He played the most defensive snaps of his career in 2022 at cornerback, totaling 433 on his way to a 50.7 PFF grade.
The Gainesville, Georgia native was a three-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle, ranking as the nation’s No. 600 prep player according to the 247sports composite rankings. He committed to Jeremy Pruitt and his staff and decided to stay at Tennessee during the coaching change.
Charles was set to be a backup for Tennessee again this season but could have been the first safety off the bench whereas he was the second safety off the bench last season. But the veteran is looking for more steady and consistent playing time in his final collegiate season.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety joins a Virginia program that has been one of the ACC’s worst in recent seasons. Virginia is entering its fourth season under her coach Tony Elliott. The Cavaliers are 11-23 during Elliott’s tenure including a 5-7 record a season ago.
