On Saturday, Tennessee football’s spring camp concludes with the annual Orange and White Game. It is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET with admission free to fans.
If you plan on attending inside Neyland Stadium, you may be wondering which players are worth keeping an eye on. Here’s a look at five incoming Vol transfers to watch.
Let me clarify: This isn’t the top-five transfers in the class, just five that are going to be worth tracking given their expected roles and uncertainties at the position.
DT – Xavier Gilliam (Penn State)
Possibly the winner of spring camp has been Penn State defensive line transfer, Xavier Gilliam. At a position where he could play his way into a starting job and a large share of the snaps, he’s consistently taken the headlines as a standout performer.
It’s not just in stuffing the run from the interior, either. Gilliam has shown an elite ability to get after the quarterback as a pass rusher. This skillset has been compared to Omarr Norman-Lott, who wreaked havoc at UT.
“It’s coming along,” Tennessee LEOs coach Andrew Jackson said. “We actually had a really good day. We ran some more third and longs on Saturday and had a really good day providing pass rush. Xavier Gilliam actually was a guy that flashed big time at practice the other day, rushing from the interior. But it’s coming along. It’s really more so getting them to work together as a unit more so than seeing individual rushes. We got guys making sacks here and there, but making sure we’re balancing the pocket and playing team ball is really the goal that we’re looking for.”
RB – Javin Gordon (Tulane)
The top of Tennessee’s running back room is set. DeSean Bishop returns after an over-1,000-yard season in the SEC, and there’s no question that he will be the team’s feature back. However, the spots behind him are up in the air.
The Vols have three options for the second-string role. It could go to sophomores Daune Morris or Justin Baker, or to Tulane transfer Javin Gordon, who is also a sophomore.
While it wasn’t at the SEC level, Gordon has the most experience as a member of the Green Wave’s rotation. Now, he’s looking to prove he deserves the second-string role.
“You look at it, he’s a guy that goes out there and plays early as a freshman, a true freshman in college, on a playoff caliber team, and he did a really good job of starting five games in that season,” Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims said. “He was productive from that standpoint, but you see a guy that has a really high ceiling that is not maxed out from that standpoint. You saw the pass-catching ability out of the backfield, the pass protection ability, the running the football ability, as well. Feeling like from a character standpoint, he was a really good fit that would fit into that room, and he’s done that.”
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OL – Ory Williams (LSU)
Tennessee’s offensive line returns a good bit of talent. The Vols return David Sanders Jr., a former five-star, who is flipping over to left tackle in his sophomore year. On the interior, Sam Pendleton returns at center and Wendell Moe Jr., though he won’t play in the Orange and White Game, returns at guard. Versatile lineman Jesse Perry and guard Sham Umarov are also back.
One of the spots up for grabs, though, is right tackle. The spot is seemingly up to LSU transfer Ory Williams to claim, as well. Otherwise, Perry could slide back out to tackle and open up a guard spot.
Williams is just a redshirt-sophomore, but has experience in an SEC program. He’s certainly got the size, as well, and will be worth keeping an eye on on Saturday.
“Super talented guy,” Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said. “Got great foot speed, length, really intelligent, understands what we’re trying to do schematically. I’m probably on his butt about some physicality of the run game a little bit. I think he did that today, kinda rose to that challenge. I’m excited. He’s a fun guy to be around. He just has a great positive attitude, fun in the meeting room with guys. He’s come in and, like, hasn’t skipped a beat. I’m looking forward to continuing to see where we can push him, where we can get him to, and how he helps.”
CB – Kayin Lee (Auburn)
With the departure of injured stars Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III and breakout star Colton Hood, Ty Redmond returns as the experienced cornerback for Tennessee. While you can pencil him in as one of the starters, the other job is likely, but not definitely, going to Auburn’s Kayin Lee.
Lee was really successful on an individual standpoint with the Tigers, but played on some bad teams. Now, he’s got a clean slate to parlay personal success with team success with the Vols.
If he can do so, he could become a fan favorite as one of the better cornerbacks in the conference.
“Kayin has played a lot of snaps in this league,” Tennessee cornerbacks coach Derek 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.”
S – TJ Metcalf (Michigan)
Another top transfer commit for the Vols’ defense under Jim Knowles is safety TJ Metcalf from Michigan. It was his prior connection with co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter that played a big role in bringing him to Knoxville, as well.
Now, he projects as one of the starters at the two safety spots for the Vols. He’s gotten reps at both as he looks to compete for snaps alongside the likes of returner Edrees Farooq and Penn State transfer Dejuan Lane.
Metcalf also comes in with his brother, Tevis Metcalf.
“TJ Metcalf, he wasn’t in the defense,” Poindexter said. “He done picked it up fast. But Sidney (Walton) and TJ and all those freshmen, too. I got impressive moments as far as attention to detail, wanting to come learn the defense every day and wanting to practice. These guys love to practice. They love the competition. I’ve been impressed.”
