The transfer portal is officially open. As the clock struck midnight and the date turned to Jan. 2, players across the country flooded to the portal looking for their new home.
So far, as of Saturday, Jan. 3, at 8:30 a.m. ET, 21 Tennessee football players have announced their intention to enter the portal or have already entered. That includes three starters, three contributors and a long list of backup and reserves.
“We got to get better, absolutely,” Vols head coach Josh Heupel said after the Music City Bowl. “But there’s a lot of really good, young talent inside of that locker room. One of, if not the youngest teams in our league. There’s an influx of guys that we just signed that are highly talented. Yes, we have to go in the portal and get some guys, too. The talent is one thing, the development of it is the second part of it.
“But there’s a connection and work mentality and mental toughness and every trait that it takes to go win has got to be developed, as well. And, I feel really good about what we have coming back, what we have coming in, and then we got to go get some guys here in the portal and then we got to go build a football team, which is what you have to do every year when we get back in January.”
Here’s the full list.
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Starters
- LT Lance Heard
- CB Rickey Gibson III
- K Max Gilbert
Contributors
- DB Boo Carter (left the team in November)
- DL Caleb Herring
- RB Peyton Lewis
Backups
- QB Jake Merklinger
- DL Kellen Lindstrom
- DL Jamal Wallace
- OL Bennett Warren
- LB Brenden Anes
- DB Marcus Goree Jr.
- OL Max Anderson
- WR Amari Jefferson
- DL Emmanuel Okoye
- DL Jayden Loftin
Reserves
- OL Trevor Duncan (left the team ahead of the season)
- DL Herb Gray
- WR Tommy Winton III
- DB Colin Brazzell
- WR Braylon Harmon
Other Departures
These players have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and are forgoing their remaining eligibility.
- CB Jermod McCoy
- WR Chris Brazzell II
- CB Colton Hood
- LB Arion Carter
These players are out of eligibility or went through senior day.
- DL Joshua Josephs
- QB Joey Aguilar
- DL Dominic Bailey
- DL Bryson Eason
- DL Tyre West
- DL Jaxson Moi
- DB Jalen McMurray
- TE Miles Kitselman
- DB Andre Turrentine
- RB Star Thomas
- DB William Wright
- OL Gus Hill
- OL Brian Grant
- DB Montrell Bandy
- TE Seamus Meagher
