The calendar has turned to August, the MLB Draft is almost a full month in the rearview and college baseball rosters across the country are largely set as players prepare to report to campus over the next few weeks.
Tennessee went through a major overhaul this offseason, losing a multitude of key players to professional baseball and others to the transfer portal as they prepare for the new roster limits. While Tennessee lost a multitude of players from its 2025 team, Tony Vitello and his staff went out and landed a large transfer class to pair with its highly rated high school recruiting class.
The Vols originally landed 12 transfer portal players as well as a pair of JUCO transfers. Three of those transfer portal prospects signed professionally after being selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, leaving Tennessee with a nine-player transfer portal class.
That nine-player class is good enough for the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country according to 64Analytics. As usual, the SEC dominated the transfer portal with the top six classes and eight of the top 10 classes all boding from the SEC.
Georgia landed the top transfer class in the country followed by Tennessee, Mississippi State (No. 3), South Carolina (No. 4), Auburn (No. 5), Kentucky (No. 8) and Oklahoma (No. 10).
Of Tennessee’s transfer commits, Virginia outfielder Henry Ford is the No. 6 transfer in the country according to 64Analytics. Rice two-way Blaine Brown is the No. 18 transfer in the country, Rutgers RHP Landon Mack is the No. 24 transfer in the country, Kennesaw State RHP Bo Rhudy is the No. 37 transfer in the country and Virginia LHP Evan Blanco is the No. 44 transfer in the country.
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The Vols over incoming transfers including Bowling Green OF/C Garrett Wright, ETSU RHP Brady Frederick, Duke LHP Mark Hindy and San Diego State infielder Finley Bates. Tennessee also landed commitments from Bowling Green RHP/OF DJ Newman, UNC Asheville RHP Clay Edmondson and MIT RHP Mason Estrada but all three signed professionally.
Tennessee’s other key transfer newcomer is Walters State utility man Tyler Myatt but as a junior college transfer he does not count towards transfer portal rankings.
The Vols’ top-ranked recruiting class also survived the MLB Draft relatively well with LHP Cameron Appenzeller, infielder Ethan Moore and catcher Trent Grindlinger all making it to campus as draft risks. Tennessee wasn’t unscathed, however, with SS Billy Carlson, SS Steele Hall and LHP Kruz Schoolcraft all going in the first round of the draft and signing professionaly.
Vitello’s program is coming off a strong season where they made it to the super regionals. But after the program’s recent success even Vitello has admitted that missing Omaha has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.
Over the last five years, Tennessee has won the SEC Regular Season and Tournament twice each, won five regionals, made it to the College World Series three times and won the 2024 National Championship.
