Tennessee football defensive line transfer Jamal Wallace has found his new home out of the transfer portal. After garnering interest from the likes of Clemson, Cincinnati, UNLV, Kansas, USF, Mississippi State, Memphis, Oregon State, San Diego State, Purdue and Utah, he committed to the Utes, via an announcement on his Instagram.
Wallace played in six games this season. In this time, he produced four tackles. His first year in Knoxville, 2024, he played in three games and recorded three tackles.
Now, he joins a Utah program led by Morgan Scalley. He replaces Kyle Whittingham, who stepped down before heading to lead Michigan. Scalley has been the Utes’ defensive coordinator since 2016 and has been with the program as a coach since 2007. He played for Utah from 2001-04.
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Wallace joined Tennessee in the summer of 2024 as a junior college transfer. He began his career at Sierra College before making his way to the FBS level.
His transition to Tennessee also meant transitioning to defensive lineman, a position he wasn’t experienced in.
“Jamal is a talented big man. He just didn’t have any sweat equity as a d-lineman,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said before the 2025 season. “And then just getting hurt and not being able to put the work in to work on the nuances of being a defensive lineman and not just being a defensive lineman, being an interior defensive line. You’re taking a kid that was a safety, outside backer, dropping. When he got here, he didn’t even know how to get into a three-point stance.
“So you know, he needs every single day of work that he can get because he is big, he is explosive, he can run, he is twitchy. He has the traits of a d-lineman, an SEC d-lineman. But now, just putting together the mechanical, technical things that he needs to do to take that game. But you know, I’m excited. He’s been able to be out there so far and stay healthy. That’s the biggest thing, be able to stay healthy, put in that work and continue to grow.”
He is one of 25 departing transfers for Tennessee this off-season. With a thin interior of the defensive line going into next season, it’s been a priority for the Vols to find tackles.
