Tennessee football has pulled off an impressive feat in back-to-back seasons. In both 2024 and 2025, the Vols have brought in a transfer portal cornerback who has not just gone on to have a good season, but arguably among the best years across the country.
Now, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood is Auburn transfer Kayin Lee. He joins with starting experience in the SEC, and projects to start opposite of Ty Redmond at cornerback this season.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback has played 1,560 total snaps in his three seasons at Auburn, while starting 24 games over the last two years. Lee totaled 31 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception during the 2025 season. As a sophomore, Lee totaled 32 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass deflections.
A difference between Lee and his predecessors, McCoy and Hood, will be the coaching staff, though. The prior pair were coached by defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez. Lee will be coached by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and cornerbacks coach Derek Jones.
Jones was asked about Lee and what he brings to the table on Tuesday. He noted that he’s seen individual success, but now the goal is to replicate it on a team that is winning.
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“Kayin has played a lot of snaps in this league,” Jones said. “Had some individual success, but hadn’t had a lot of team success. And those things affect a lot of guys. I think he’s one of those guys that really wanted a fresh start, really wanted an opportunity to prove himself, and he works at it. You can tell by watching him in practice, in the meeting room, that he’s got a level of maturity to him. What we’re doing is a little bit different, so a lot of times you don’t feel as free, so he’s learning.
“But he’s been really impressive as far as helping to bring the young guys along. And the one thing I will say about him, probably, that stands out more than anything, he’s an excellent teammate, and that’s what you want when you bring a guy into your room, into your program, into your locker room. A lot of times you don’t know these guys, and you only have a small amount of time to recruit them in the portal, so it’s a lot of times a roll of the dice in who you’re bringing in.
“And what you wanna see when you got a guy that’s been at another program, especially a program that’s played against you and competed against you, you wanna make sure that guy’s the right type of person. And I think that’s the one thing that I can look at him and say, ‘You know, that kid’s a captain, that kid’s a leader, that kid is good for my room, and that kid’s good for our program.’”
Lee and the rest of the team will be on display in public on Saturday. The annual Orange & White Game is scheduled for April 11 at 2 p.m. ET. Admission is free for fans, but it will not be broadcast.
