A pair of former Tennessee players have emerged with Deion Sanders’ Colorado program out of the transfer portal.
Safety John Slaughter and offensive lineman Larry Johnson III will both be taking their talents to Boulder, CO, for the upcoming football season.
Slaughter and his agency announced his plans to join Colorado with an Instagram post late Tuesday night. The rising junior originally entered the portal on Apr. 16 and is now a Buffalo two weeks later.
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Slaughter spent two seasons with Tennessee as a backup safety and special teams contributor, playing in 23 games during his two years on Rocky Top. He tallied six tackles and one interception for the Vols in 2024 with 56 defensive snaps on the field. Slaughter’s output earned him a 66.5 season grade from Pro Football Focus.
The 6-foot-2 safety originally committed to Tennessee out of Southaven High School in Southaven, Mississippi. Slaughter was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and was an early enrollee before Tennessee’s trip to Miami for the Orange Bowl in December 2022.
Slaughter will now turn to one of the great defensive backs in football history to see how his game can be elevated with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Someone else who will turn to Sanders’ program for his next football season is former UT offensive lineman Larry Johnson III.
Johnson announced his commitment to Colorado with a social media post on Wednesday morning, just past 11 a.m. ET.
— Larry “Tre” Johnson III (@iamthelarryj76) April 30, 2025
Johnson played at Tennessee for two seasons in 2023 and 2024 after transferring in from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.
The 6-foot-7, 348-pound lineman spent most of his time as a reserve tackle while playing in 15 games at Tennessee. Johnson took a redshirt in his first season with the Vols before playing in 11 games during the 2024 season. Johnson’s best game may have come against Oklahoma last year, where he did not allow any QB pressures in 41 snaps at left tackle, earning him the highest game-grade among the Vols’ O-Line from PFF.
The Savannah, GA, native was in the portal for 10 days before emerging with the Colorado program.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee offseason coverage.
