Tennessee football’s work in the transfer portal has been a bit of a mixed bag to date. But there’s no area the Vols have had more success than with Penn State defensive transfers. Tennessee hired three defensive staffers from Penn State this offseason, most notable defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and have parlayed that into landing four Nittany Lion transfer defenders.
Another Penn State defender entered the transfer portal Saturday night with defensive lineman Enai White looking elsewhere for his final season of college eligibility, CBS Sports Matt Zenitz first reported.
White has not produced at the same level as Tennessee’s other additions from Penn State. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound defender played just 60 snaps for the Nittany Lions a season ago where he totaled three tackles, one sack and three total quarterback pressures in eight games played. He also missed time due to injury during the 2025 season.
A former four-star recruit from Philadelphia, White played the first two years of his college career at Texas A&M before transferring to Penn State. White played a career-high 90 snaps as a freshman but has battled injuries as he’s fought for consistent playing time in the subsequent years.
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Landing White would not be a coup for Tennessee but it would provide them depth and versatility across the defensive line. White has played both strongside defensive end and defensive tackle during his college career. The Vols need additional bodies after losing multiple players to graduation and the transfer portal.
The Penn State to Tennessee pipeline has been profitable for Josh Heupel and his staff to date. After hiring Knowles, safeties coach Anthony Pondexter and LEOs coach Andrew Jackson from Penn State, the Vols have landed four Nittany Lion defenders out of the portal. That group includes defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, LEO Chaz Coleman, inside linebacker Amare Campbell and safety Dejuan Lane.
All four players project to play serious snaps for Tennessee next season and all four could be starters. Lane quickly began peer recruiting White on social media Saturday night after he entered the portal.
The Vols have landed 10 commits in the transfer portal to date including Kansas State defensive back Qua Moss, LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams, Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee, Louisville kicker Cooper Ranvier, Eastern Kentucky long snapper and inside linebacker Blake Howard, Oklahoma State receiver Gavin Freeman and the four Penn State transfers.
