The transfer portal still doesn’t officially open for another week and a half but an abundance of players have already announced their intentions to enter the portal when it opens. Dozens of quarterbacks have already announced plans to enter the transfer portal and Tennessee football could be looking to snag one of them.
NCAA rules could change to give Joey Aguilar an extra year of eligibility, but that seems unlikely to resolve itself in the next week. If the rules don’t change by then, Tennessee will likely look to add a quarterback through the portal.
Who are the best quarterbacks who intend to enter the transfer portal? Which ones fit at Tennessee? Taking a look here.
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Josh Hoover, TCU
- 2025 stats: 272-for-413, 3,472 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 4 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns
- Pros: Hoover is one of the very best passers in the portal. He throws the football accurately, especially down the field. Hoover has three years of starting experience at the power four level and just one year of eligibility remaining. He threw for even more yards in 2024.
- Cons: Tennessee tried to entice Hoover to enter the portal last spring and he had some quotes that indicated he didn’t love that. Hoover also is a true pocket passer. His legs are less of a threat than Aguilar’s were this past season.
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
- 2025 stats: 207-for-336, 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. 580 rushing touchdowns and 9 touchdowns.
- Pros: Sorsby takes care of the football and is a really good runner. Sorsby would give the Vols a weapon with his feet that they haven’t had since Hendon Hooker was the team’s starting quarterback. He has just one year of eligibility remaining. His parents also live in Knoxville.
- Cons: Sorsby was pretty inconsistent as a passer last season. He threw for just 69 yards against Nebraska, 111 yards against Baylor and 154 yards against Arizona. With a good returning receiving core, Tennessee may want to lean on its passing attack. Sorsby’s girlfriend also is transferring to play volleyball at Texas Tech.
Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
- 2025 stats: 181-for-250, 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. -87 rushing yards.
- Pros: Raiola’s numbers are a bit deflated because he missed three games due to injury. He also played behind a very bad offensive line. He’s an accurate passer and is good off script.
- Cons: He has not had much success in his career to date and has a reputation as a bit of a headache after flipping from Georgia to Nebraska during his recruitment. Raiola also cosplays at Patrick Mahomes that is, at the very least, odd. Raiolo has two years of eligibility remaining.
DJ Lagway, Florida
- 2025 stats: 213-for-337, 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 136 rushing yards and one touchdown.
- Pros: The cons would be easier to do first. But Lagway missed nearly the whole offseason due to injury and didn’t have the best coaching from Billy Napier. He’s clearly talented and still relatively inexperienced. In the right position, Lagway could have a really nice year.
- Cons: The numbers speak for themselves. Lagway was largely terrible last season and had huge turnover problems. Tennessee is also in need for a short term quarterback and Lagway is just a rising junior.
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
- 2025 stats: 205-for-339, 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, 9 interceptions. 116 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns.
- Pros: Another player Tennessee tried to lure into the portal last offseason, Becht’s production took a decent step back in 2025. But like Hoover, he has multiple years of starting experience and one year of eligibility remaining. Becht is also a balanced quarterback. He’s a solid passer and a good runner.
- Cons: Becht had a number of really poor games last season and threw five interceptions during the Cyclones’ four-game losing streak in the middle of the season. More importantly, logic indicates that he would follow Matt Campbell to Penn State.
Byrum Brown, South Florida
- 2025 stats: 226-for-341, 3,158 yards, 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. 1,008 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
- Pros: Brown is an elite rusher and a true dual threat. He has multiple years of starting experience and played for Alex Golesh in a similar system to what Josh Heupel runs at Tennessee.
- Cons: Brown is not a super consistent passer. He’s also likely going to follow Golesh to Auburn.
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
- 2025 stats: 173-for-290, 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 1,007 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
- Pros: Joseph has started two seasons at Old Dominion and has been highly productive both as a passer and especially as a rusher. While he struggled against Indiana, Joseph threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown in a win over Virginia Tech.
- Cons: There will always be questions about a player making a jump in competition like Joseph will. I especially wonder about how well he will rush the ball against SEC opponents. Joseph also had a bit of a turnover problem, throwing 10 interceptions.
Kenny Minchey, Notre Dame
- 2025 stats: 20-for-26, 196 yards. 84 rushing yards and one touchdown.
- Pros: Minchey was in the thick of Notre Dame’s quarterback competition before the Fighting Irish decided to role with CJ Carr. He’s also a Hendersonville, Tennessee native, playing his prep football at Pope John Paul II.
- Cons: Minchey just doesn’t check many boxes for Tennessee. The Vols need someone with experience. Minchey does not have that. He also still has three years of eligibility remaining.
