Tennessee football and Josh Heupel are officially making noise in the transfer portal. On Sunday afternoon, the Vols landed their first commitment of the cycle in safety Qua Moss out of Kansas State, according to Hayes Fawcett.
This comes at a much-needed position. After poor play from the defense a year ago, Tennessee nearly completely retooled its coaching staff on that side of the ball. This included firing defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks. In his spot, the Vols hired Jim Knowles as the defensive coordinator and Anthony Poindexter as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Now, the group has dipped into the portal to land Moss, who was considered the No. 237 player in the transfer portal and No. 15 player at safety at this point, according to 247.
BREAKING: Kansas State transfer safety Qua Moss has Committed to Tennessee, his agent tells @On3Sports
This season he totaled 41 tackles, 2 INT, 1 FF, and 1 sack
He’s repped by @david_benzaken and @IanGrutman https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/kTTOyc7G54
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 4, 2026
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While safety is certainly an option for him to play if he picked the Vols, he could also fill in at the nickelback position that the Vols will need to replace with Jalen McMurray out of eligibility and Boo Carter in the transfer portal.
This past year, Moss played a good bit of that slot cornerback role for the Wildcats. He registered a PFF grade of 68.4 on the year with a total of 513 snaps played. On the season, Moss posted 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He also registered two carries on offense for a total of 26 yards.
Moss began his career at Dodge Community College before moving up to West Georgia. This past season was his first with Kansas State. He will be a true senior next season.
