Tennessee football had six scholarship players and another walk-on enter the transfer portal after the conclusion of spring practice. Only two of those seven players projected as starters next season but a handful projected to give the Vols quality depth.
So where did Tennessee’s outgoing transfers land this spring and what does it mean for the Vols? Taking a look here.
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QB Nico Iamaleava
New school: UCLA
2024 stats: 213-for-334, 2,616 yards, 22 total touchdowns, 5 interceptions
What it means for UT: This has been discussed at length on this site and many others so we won’t go too deep here. Tennessee went out and landed UCLA’s Joey Aguilar in the portal and he will compete with Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre for the starting job. Losing Iamaleava lowers Tennessee’s ceiling because of his breakout ability. But Aguilar or Merkligner could feasibly play as well as Iamaleava did last season.
S Jakobe Thomas
New school: Miami
2024 stats: 22 tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery
What it means for UT: After serving as Tennessee’s third safety last season, Thomas had a strong chance to step into a starting role this season. Without him, second-year safety Edrees Farooq has to step up as does Jourdan Thomas as he works back from tearing his ACL last August.
S Christian Charles
New school: Virginia
2024 stats: 28 tackles
What it means for UT: Like Thomas, Charles was a backup safety for Tennessee last season. Even with Thomas gone, Charles likely would have stayed in that role this season. The senior was a good depth piece but not a high level player. He also struggled to stay healthy, missing much of the 2021 season and the entire 2023 season.
S John Slaughter
New school: Colorado
2024 stats: 5 tackles, 1 interception
What it means for UT: Slaughter played minimally in his two seasons at Tennessee. He totaled just 54 snaps, with none coming in SEC games, last season. Losing Slaughter hurts for depth and no more for Tennessee. Even in a depleted safety room, Slaughter was going to be the Vols’ fourth safety at best with third string feeling more likely.
OT Larry Johnson III
New school: Colorado
2024 stats: 133 snaps
What it means for UT: Johnson was Tennessee’s backup left tackle last season and he played a bulk snaps in the Vols’ win at Oklahoma after both starting offensive tackles went down with injury. Johnson was not projected to start for Tennessee next season but it’s still a real loss. He would have been the Vols’ top offensive tackle off the bench.
OG Ayden Bussell
New school: West Virginia
2024 stats: 62 snaps
What it means for UT: Very little. Bussell didn’t play while redshirting in 2023 and played in just three games last season. Bussell projected as purely a depth piece in the interior of the Vols’ offensive line.
WR Dayton Sneed
New school: North Carolina
2024 stats: 1 catch for 12 yards
What it means for UT: Sneed is the one walk-on here. But he is a good walk-on! It was unlikely that Sneed would play meaningful snaps for Tennessee next season but with the Vols’ depleted receiver room it wasn’t impossible. The bigger impact could be on his younger brother’s recruitment.
