Tennessee football has completed re-tooled its defense this offseason after a poor 2025 season where they ranked 91st nationally by allowing 28.85 points per game. The Vols have added 11 defenders in the portal oto date and there’s been one consistent them.
Four of Tennessee’s 11 defensive additions have come from Penn State, following defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and new LEO coach Andrew Jackson. The Vols added Nittany Lion defenders at all three levels of the defense— LEO Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, inside linebacker Amare Campbell and safety Dejuan Lane.
Knowles sees that as an advantage for Tennessee as the Vols look to bounce back with a new scheme next season.
“It’s a big plus because they spent a year learning not only the system, but how I operate and my expectations,” Knowles said on The Mike Keith Show this week. “And they’ll be able to filter it down to the other guys. And I also know I’ve been hands on with those guys so I understand what they can do and where they need to get better.”
Adding players who have experience with a new coordinator would always be important. It might be even more important in this case. Knowles has the reputation of running a more complicated defense that is hard for players to pick up on in one year.
In his previous four stops as a defensive coordinator, Knowles first defense was his worst statistically three times. At Duke, it was his second worst defense in his eight years as defensive coordinator.
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Keith asked Knowles about that reputation and the Vols’ new defensive coordinator pushed back on that a bit, but bringing players with him is still undoubtedly a plus.
“I’ve heard that. Not that I read those things, but people tell me that,” Knowles said. “So I think they’d go back and we’re working on that now. Every new opportunity that you have to install it, you got to find better ways. So I think part of being a great coach is being adjustable and adaptable and listening. A lot of guys get stuck in their ways. So if that’s what some players may have said, I have to take that into account. And we’re looking at ways to simplify things early on so we can make more progress quickly.
“Now, one of the things is having coaches who have been with me, which I haven’t had in the past, so that always takes time. And having some players that have been with me too. So I think we’ll be way ahead on both of those counts.”
Campbell and Gilliam were starters at Penn State last season while Coleman and Lane also had significant roles on the Nittany Lions defense.
Gilliam will almost certainly start at defensive tackle for Tennessee next season while Lane will compete with returnee Edrees Farooq and Michigan transfer TJ Metcalf for two starting spots. Campbell could start though it seems more likely that he’ll come off the bench behind Arion Carter and Edwin Spillman.
Coleman had the least production of the group but was the highest rated transfer due to his high ceiling and young age. With Tennessee losing its top three LEOs, Coleman has a great chance to start next season.
The familiarity with Knowles, his standards and scheme will benefit all four as they look to get on the field and boost Tennessee’s defense in 2026.
