Tennessee football’s search for a quarterback took another turn Monday morning when Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt committed to LSU over the Vols and Miami. Leavitt was the Vols’ top quarterback target in the portal. He took a visit to Tennessee last week but eventually decided on Lane Kiffin and the Tigers following the trip to Knoxville and a trip to Miami.
So what’s next for Josh Heupel and Tennessee as they pursue a quarterback to start in 2026? All eyes are now on Joey Aguilar’s lawsuit as he seeks an additional year of college eligibility. That’s the top plan for the Vols right now, and there’s a belief that a decision could come very soon. But Tennessee should not sit and wait, leaving its situation in limbo.
Missouri transfer Beau Pribula visited Tennessee last week. The 6-foot-2 signal caller began the 2025 season as Missouri’s starting quarterback, completing 67% of his passes for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He suffered an injury against Vanderbilt, missing most of that game and the ensuing two games.
Before his time at Missouri, Pribula spent two years as a backup quarterback at Penn State. Following his visit to Tennessee last week, Pribula visited Virginia football.
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Pribula has SEC experience but was generally unimpressive during it. If Tennessee lands Pribula, he very well could compete with redshirt freshman George MacIntye and freshman Faizon Brandon.
What are Tennessee’s other options besides Pribula? Tennessee was reportedly interested in luring Alabama’s Ty Simpson into the portal before he declared for the NFL Draft last week. According to a report from AL.com’s Nick Kelly, SEC teams have still been contacting Simpson and trying to convince him to transfer after declaring for the draft.
Kelly’s report did not mention Tennessee but it would be a logical possibility. Simpson has until this Wednesday to officially decide whether to transfer or end his collegiate career.
Pribula is the only quarterback currently uncommitted and in the portal that Tennessee has reportedly been in contact with. The Vols could also try to lure a different quarterback into the portal.
Either way, Tennessee has done good work at a number of spots in the portal, but quarterback remains the biggest question.
