Tennessee football has landed its second transfer portal commitment from a former Jim Knowles player at Penn State. After picking up defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam on Thursday night, he instantly began peer recruiting PSU linebacker Amare Campbell, among others.
That paid off on Friday night after Campbell took a trip to see Knoxville in person. He has committed to Knowles and the Vols, according to On3.
This is now the seventh transfer portal pickup for Tennessee this cycle. He joins safety Qua Moss from Kansas State, cornerback Kayin Lee from Auburn and Gilliam on the defensive side of the ball. Offensive tackle Ory Williams from LSU, kicker Cooper Ranvier from Louisville and specialist Blake Howard from Eastern Kentucky are the others in the boat.
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Campbell is coming off his junior season and will have one year of eligibility remaining. He spent his first two seasons at North Carolina before entering the transfer portal to join Penn State this past season.
During the 2025 season, Campbell notched 103 tackles and three sacks. His tackles mark easily led the Nittany Lions.
He will now join a strong position group led by returning linebackers coach William Inge. Campbell projects to start next to redshirt-sophomore Edwin Spillman, who just had a great season with the Vols.
Other linebackers in the room include Jeremiah Telander and Jadon Perlotte, who would provide fantastic depth at the position and still get a good amount of run in the rotation. Other returning names to know include Jaedon Harmon, Jordan Burns and Ben Bolton.
Incoming freshmen for the group feature four-stars Brayden Rouse and TJ White. Both were extremely highly-recruited prospects out of high school and could force their hand into immediate playtime like Perlotte did this past season. The only losses to the room were Arion Carter, who is headed to the NFL, and reserve freshman Brenden Anes, who is transferring..
