Tennessee landed a transfer portal commitment from defensive lineman Josh Schell on Tuesday evening, according to a report from On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett.
Schell is from Division II Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman received an offer from Tennessee on April 27 after a visit to Knoxville. It took just two days for Schell to announce his commitment after that. Schell also held offers from Coastal Carolina, Central Florida, MTSU, Arkansas State, and Middle Tennessee, among others.
The former DII player was productive last season at GVSU, but now has the opportunity to join a deep and talented room coached by Rodney Garner in the SEC. There’s no doubt that Garner must have liked what he saw from Schell’s tape, and the relationship must have kicked off nicely for such a quick decision to happen. Garner is viewed as one of the top and most respected defensive line coaches in the nation and should prove to be a huge benefit to Schell’s growth.
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Schell racked up 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks during the Lakers’ 2024 season. He also tallied six pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 13 games. That was a big jump up from his 2023 season, where he had just 11 tackles and no sacks in eight games. Schell took a football redshirt in 2022 as he was a pitcher for the GVSU baseball team. Schell posted a 6.50 ERA with a 1-0 record in 13 appearances.
The two-sport athlete returned to the diamond in 2025 and posted a 1.13 ERA in four appearances. Schell also has 128 plate appearances this season with a .313 batting average and eight home runs.
Tennessee lost one defensive lineman to the transfer portal this season, Jayson Jenkings, but also saw a handful of top players leave through graduation, including Dominic Bailey, Omarr Norman-Lott, Elijah Simmons, and Omari Thomas. The Vols are reloading their defensive line depth this offseason with four-star Isaiah Campbell, four-star Mariyon Dye, four-star Ethan Utley, four-star EDGE Jayden Loftin, and three-star Charles House. Josh Schell is the Vols’ first portal addition on the defensive line.
Check out some of Josh Schell’s highlights below:
I have officially entered the NCAA transfer portal. 6’5 275 Defensive end all GLIAC honors with 2 years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/EnwQhmvuHa
— Josh Schell (@Josh81248124) April 17, 2025
