Tennessee transfer defensive lineman Josh Schell is already one of the more interesting players on the Vols’ 2025 roster.
Raised by a father who played college basketball and college baseball, Schell was a two-sport athlete himself up until transferring to Tennessee this past offseason.
Make no mistake about it, Schell came to Tennessee to further his football career and play “in the best football, best conference in the country.” He’s excited about the opportunity to be coached by legendary assistant Rodney Garner, and he’s making the most of the Vols’ football facilities and resources as he gears up for his first season on Rocky Top.
But he had to leave behind a career on the diamond to do so.
In addition to his football career at Grand Valley State, he was also a relief pitcher for the Lakers’ baseball team. In two full seasons, Schell posted a 5.53 ERA in 18 appearances with a pitch set that included “fastball (and) slider, primarily,” but he also “mixed in curveball (and) changeup as kind of some more slow pitches.”
Schell worked both sports at GVSU, but chose to primarily focus on football during the transfer process that eventually led him to The Volunteer State.
“It was actually, I was talking to one of my buddies, and he said there could possibly be some opportunities at bigger football up,” Schell said of why he switched to football. “So, when I was getting in the portal is kind of when I decided I wasn’t going to pursue baseball anymore. So I played baseball all the way up until I transferred.”
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Initial thought might lead you to believe that the body requirements might be a good bit different between a pitcher and an interior defensive lineman, but Schell said on Saturday that “it’s not a huge difference.” He said he’d only drop about 10 pounds (currently listed at 265) in order to get a bit more mobile on the mound to throw.
That size, combined with his athleticism, leads him to be optimistic about his potential impact with the Vols’ defense this season.
“We are a super vertical defense,” Schell said. “We really get up the field and use our explosiveness. We don’t have huge, gigantic 350-pound linemen. We have really athletic guys and that fits me well. I’m not 330 pounds, but I’m pretty athletic, so I can get up the field. And that’s like right in my wheelhouse.”
While Schell won’t be giving any relief appearances for Tony Vitello’s baseball team this season, he certainly was aware of Tennessee’s national prowess on the diamond. The Vols won the 2024 National Championship and have been a staple in the postseason for several years now.
“Yeah, they’re a national powerhouse,” Schell said with a grin when asked about the Vols’ baseball program. “I was definitely aware of the baseball team. They’re very good.”
When he’s not working with the football team, though, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Vols’ offseason addition cheering on the baseball team from the stands later in the year.
Check out Josh Schell’s full fall camp interview below:
