Tennessee football is on the hunt to add a running back to its roster for the 2026 season and has identified a transfer portal target. The Vols are going to host Louisiana transfer Zylan Perry for a visit on Sunday, he tells Rocky Top Insider.
According to ‘The Business of Athletes‘, Perry will also take a look at Cincinnati, Central Florida and Florida State. He has one year of eligibility remaining after rounding out his redshirt junior season in 2025 with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Perry played in 11 games this past year, totalling 128 carries for 664 yards and eight touchdowns. This included a long of 84 and an average of 60.4 yards per game. He also caught 13 passes for 84 yards.
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Perry has played all four of his collegiate seasons with Louisiana up until this point. In 2024, he notched a career-high 695 yards along with four touchdowns on 112 attempts. That came over the course of 13 games. He was also a kick returner that season.
In 2023, Perry ran for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 54 attempts. He also returned 34 kicks for 862 yards and a touchdown that season. In 2022, as a true freshman, he played in three games, earning him a redshirt.
If Perry ends up committing to Tennessee, he will join a thin but talented running back room. This past year, the Vols used a trio of backs, but Star Thomas is out of eligibility, and Peyton Lewis entered the transfer portal. This leaves DeSean Bishop, the lead back, as the lone returner of that group.
Also remaining on the roster are rising second-year backs Daune Morris and Justin Baker. Morris got in the mix toward the end of the season and took advantage of his opportunities. This means the projected three-man rotation would be Bishop, Morris and an incoming transfer. UT landed no running backs in its 2026 high school recruiting class.
