Tennessee offensive tackle Lance Heard plans on entering the transfer portal when it officially opens Friday, Heard posted on X (Twitter) Thursday evening. Heard started at left tackle for Tennessee each of the last two seasons and has one year of eligibility remaining.
“Vol nation, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been a part of my time at Tennessee,” Heard said in a statement. “Wearing Vol orange and white has been an incredible experience, and I’m truly grateful for all the lessons, memories and growth along the way.
“To the coaches and staff, my teammates, and all the fans who have shown love and support, thank you. Your encouragement has never gone unnoticed. After a lot of thought and prayer, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with eligibility remaining to explore new opportunities and to continue to develop as a player and as a person.
“Tennessee will always hold a special place in my journey, and I’m thankful for everything this program has given me. Thank you, Vol nation.”
Heard transferred to Tennessee from LSU ahead of the 2024 season and was a day one starter in Knoxville. After missing time due to injury during the offseason, Heard struggled at left tackle for much of the 2024 season before improving late in the year.
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The Louisiana native was much improved in 2025, especially in pass protection where he gave up just two sacks and 15 quarterback pressures. However, Heard was worse as a run blocker. Heard earned a 74.4 pass block and 69.8 run block grade according to PFF during his junior season.
According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos, Heard will command between $1-3 million in the portal. While the upper end seems dramatic, Heard will command a lot of money due to his experience and solid play at a premium position where teams are often lacking. But that number made little sense for Tennessee to pay.
We’ll see what Tennessee ends up doing to replace him. The most logical move would be for Jesse Perry to slide to right tackle and start across David Sanders Jr next season. Perry started six games at right tackle last season while David Sanders was sidelined with an injury. He slide to right guard when Sanders returned.
Josh Heupel and his staff could also look to replace Heard in the transfer portal. Backup offensive tackle Bennett Warren announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal earlier Thursday afternoon. At the very least, Tennessee likely needs to add a swing offensive tackle for depth at the spot.
Heard is the 14th Tennessee player to announce his plans to enter the transfer portal ahead of it opening Friday. However, Heard is the first starter to do so.
