Tennessee football: Ranking all nine transfer portal additions by potential impact

There’s no doubt Tennessee football took a major hit in the transfer portal this offseason. However, what’s not covered as much is the number of elite players they added. Josh Heupel went out of his way to add lots of new talent to the roster, and even Jeremy Pruitt’s staff added a couple of guys before they were dismissed.

Obviously, the Vols added transfers from the portal for immediate need. These players will all be eligible immediately and in contention to be in the rotation at their positions. Which players are most likely to see the field early for Rocky Top?

As we get set to rank the players from the portal, we’ll base our criteria on their talent, experience and the positions they play. Auburn Tigers transfer Kamal Hadden is being left off the list, as he actually was a junior college transfer from last year. We’re leaving off junior college transfers. Here are Tennessee football’s nine transfer portal players ranked by potential impact.

Previous school: Kansas Jayhawks

Back in the summer, it seemed highly unlikely Da’Jon Terry would even have a shot at playing. However, then Greg Emerson and Darel Middleton entered the transfer portal. As a result, Terry is all of a sudden in the mix. He comes to Rocky Top after registering two sacks last year and 14 tackles, 11 of which were solo, in reserve time.

Still, the Vols remain loaded at defensive tackle, including one other transfer we’ll have later on this list. Add in Aubrey Solomon and Kurrott Garland, and there’s a lot of competition this year. Elijah Simmons, Omari Thomas and Dominic Bailey are all still on the roster too, so Terry has too much competition to see a lot of action this year.

At 6’4″ 325 pounds, Terry has a bright future with Tennessee football. He’ll certainly play some. However, the depth of the position and his experience means he’s more of a future prospect, and his existence certainly helps alleviate one future concern of Heupel’s.