Tennessee football is still looking to add a few pieces to its transfer portal class. But with classes and winter workouts beginning earlier this week, Tennessee’s roster is almost set ahead of the 2026 season.
The Vols have landed 18 commitments out of the portal including a defensive overhaul, needed depth on the offensive side of the football and two specialists. Here’s three areas Tennessee excelled in the transfer portal.
More From RTI: Two Areas Where Tennessee Football’s Transfer Portal Class Falls Short
Safety Overhaul
We’re going to include the STAR spot here. Tennessee was bad at safety and lost the two STARs that played 90% of snaps a season ago. The Vols did a strong job of overhauling the group and adding versatility to the defensive backfield.
Kansas State STAR Qua Moss brings starting experience and solid play at that to the room. TJ Metcalf started at both safety and STAR for Michigan last season, giving the Vols a strong starting safety option but someone who can slide to STAR if need be.
Penn State transfer Dejuan Lane was a backup for the Nittany Lions but played a lot of football. Between Lane, Metcalf and rising junior Edrees Farooq, Tennessee has three capable starters at safety. They also added depth with Michigan’s Tevis Metcalf and Appalachian State’s DJ Burks. Those two along with rising sophomore Sidney Walton will provide depth.
Retooling The Offensive Line
Tennessee lost just one starter to its offensive line this offseason with Lance Heard entering the portal and landing at Kentucky. The Vols could have just slide Jesse Perry out to tackle and plugged Sham Umarov into a starting guard spot and rolled from there next season.
Instead, Tennessee added options. They landed LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams who could very well start at right tackle next season while Perry remains at guard. Tennessee also landed versatile lineman Donovan Haslam who started four games and played 444 snaps at West Virginia last season.
The two additions give the Vols needed depth and potential starters. That depth was necessary after Tennessee lost backups Max Anderson, Bennett Warren and William Satterwhite to the transfer portal.
Replacing Rickey Gibson
Perhaps Tennessee’s biggest loss to the transfer portal was projected starting cornerback Rickey Gibson who landed at Texas A&M. The Vols found a strong replacement, landing Auburn’s Kayin Lee who spent the last two years as a starter for the Tigers.
Lee was a key part of an Auburn defense that was one of the SEC’s best last season. Opponents targeted Lee 41 times, completing 21 passes for 251 yards and no touchdowns last season. In 2024, opponent targeted Lee 49 times and completed 23 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee could have truly made cornerback a strength by adding some more quality depth, but Lee and rising sophomore Ty Redmond will be a strong tandem for the Vols at cornerback next season.
