With the elimination of the spring transfer window this offseason, the madness of the portal came and went back in January as teams around the country filled out and retooled their rosters. These new portal additions made their team debuts during spring camp workouts as they now prepare for their first season at their new home coming up this fall.
Tennessee Football added 21 players through the portal this offseason. With the hiring of multiple Penn State coaches, including defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Vols had a handful of talented additions from former Nittany Lions players. Other impact additions that Tennessee acquired included Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee, Tulane running back Javin Gordon, and Michigan safety TJ Metcalf.
Tennessee also lost its fair share of players, though, including contributors such as Jordan Ross, Caleb Herring, Jack Van Dorselaer, and others. All in all, Tennessee saw 28 players exit the program through the transfer portal, with eight of those players staying in the SEC.
247Sports released a final update to its transfer portal rankings on Wednesday, highlighting the Top 247 portal players in the transfer cycle. Four of Tennessee’s incoming players landed on the list, while six of the Vols’ outgoing players also found a spot in the rankings.
Here’s a look at which new and ex-Tennessee players landed in the rankings update, including where they came from or where they ended up:
Portal Additions
- EDGE Chaz Coleman – No. 17 overall (From Penn State)
- DL Xavier Gilliam – No. 54 overall (From Penn State)
- LB Amare Campbell – No. 144 overall (From Penn State)
- CB Kayin Lee – No. 193 overall (From Auburn)
Portal Departures
- OT Lance Heard – No. 8 overall (To Kentucky)
- CB Rickey Gibson III – No. 28 overall (To Texas A&M)
- EDGE Jordan Ross – No. 63 overall (To LSU)
- S Boo Carter – No. 64 overall (To Colorado)
- TE Jack Van Dorselaer – No. 220 overall (To Oklahoma)
- EDGE Caleb Herring – No. 247 overall (To South Carolina)
More From RTI: Former Tennessee Football Player Says He Thinks This QB is Leading the Vols’ Battle
In Rocky Top Insider’s post-spring camp depth chart projections, RTI’s Ryan Sylvia listed eight positions that could see a transfer player as the starter when the Vols kick off the regular season this September.
While they are just early projections that are subject to change, he’s got LSU transfer Ory Williams as the starting right tackle, Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam as a starting defensive tackle, Tulane transfer Jordan Norman as the starting EDGE rusher, Penn State transfer Amare Campbell as a starting linebacker, Auburn transfer Kayin Lee as a starting cornerback, Kansas State transfer Qua Moss as the starting STAR defensive back, and Michigan transfer TJ Metcalf as a starting safety.
He’s also got Louisville transfer Cooper Ranvier as the Vols’ starting placekicker with Max Gilbert having transferred to Arkansas.
