Tennessee football has done a great job bringing in defensive backs through the transfer portal this cycle. Along with three safeties, the Vols hold the commitment of Auburn starting cornerback Kayin Lee.
UT has still made pushes to add additional help to the secondary, though. At cornerback, Tennessee recently hosted Oklahoma transfer Gentry Williams. However, on Tuesday morning, Williams came off the board as he committed to Georgia, according to On3.
Williams just rounded out his redshirt junior season and will have one final year of eligibility remaining. He has played his entire career up until this point for the Sooners.
Last season, Williams played in six games while starting in five. He suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair. Before the injury, he posted 10 tackles and one tackle for loss.
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In 2024, Williams played in just two games, both of which in a backup role, before suffering a season-ending injury, as well. The year prior, in 2023, he started in all 10 of his appearances while earning 30 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
He was a true freshman in 2022, playing a reserve role in 12 games. He was a four-star recruit out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 247 ranked him as the No. 119 player in the 2022 class and No. 16 cornerback. Now, 247 has him as the No. 302 transfer in the portal and No. 25 cornerback.
While Tennessee still has some defensive backs on the board, its secondary already is in a much better spot this year. At cornerback, the position that Williams would’ve played, the Vols have Lee and rising sophomore Ty Redmond, who shone by the end of his freshman season a year ago.
At safety, Tennessee has added Kansas State’s Qua Moss, Michigan’s TJ Metcalf and Penn State’s Dejuan Lane. One of those three could slide into the nickelback role and start at STAR next season, as well. UT also returns rising junior Edrees Farooq, who started at safety a year ago.
Remaining defensive back targets on the board include safety Conrad Hussey from Oregon State, who visited this past weekend, and cornerback Aaron Scott from Ohio State, who is scheduled to visit on Thursday.
