Tennessee Football and head coach Josh Heupel appear to be making a strong push for one of Jim Knowles’ former players at Penn State during the 2025 season.
Former Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam has been with the Nittany Lions for the past two seasons, but he spent the most recent year under the direct leadership of Knowles as the team’s defensive coordinator. During the 12-game season, Gilliam played in each contest with two starts, racking up 15 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and half a sack.
After the transfer portal opened and initial conversations happened, Gilliam listed a top-three finalist group that included Tennessee, Indiana, and Notre Dame. It looks like the Vols have made some progress since that list was officially released.
On Wednesday morning, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer etched a Crystal Ball prediction for Gilliam to land with Tennessee and his former defensive coordinator. Hummer is one of the premier sources for all transfer portal news and has his ear to the ground on the latest rumblings and shakeups. While Hummer’s prediction doesn’t guarantee anything for the Vols, it does give some optimism that Tennessee could be closing in on the Top 40 transfer prospect.
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According to 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings, Gilliam comes in as a four-star prospect. He’s also listed as the No. 38 player and the No. 4 defensive lineman in the transfer cycle. His four-star ranking is also an upgrade from his high school rating, which was listed as a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.
The Maryland native originally took his talents to Penn State to play for then-head coach James Franklin. He didn’t play much in his true freshman season, earning him a redshirt, but found a much more significant role this past season.
If Gilliam does wind up signing with Tennessee to continue playing under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, we now also know that he’ll be directly playing under the leadership of assistant coach Rodney Garner. The veteran defensive line coach was Tennessee’s lone assistant coach on an expiring contract this offseason, but the Vols made the move to keep him on Knowles’ staff in his current position. It’s a big win for Tennessee and its players, considering the prestige that Garner has in the college football landscape.
There’s no timetable on Gilliam’s recruitment, but if Hummer is confident enough to post a prediction, things could move quickly in the near future. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football recruiting and transfer coverage as the portal rolls along.
