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Tennessee football: Ranking transfers by performance in 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) during the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) during the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120 /
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Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) runs onto the field at the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230
Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) runs onto the field at the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 /

6. player. Defensive back. Redshirt sophomore. Kamal Hadden. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis

Previous school: Auburn Tigers

Technically, Kamal Hadden could have been a member of Tennessee football’s 2021 recruiting class. He was a 6’1″ 190-pound junior college transfer who committed to the Auburn Tigers out of Independence Community College in Kansas in August of 2020. However, Gus Malzahn’s firing changed everything, and he entered the portal before ever joining them.

Hadden ended up joining Rocky Top, so because they actually acquired him through the portal, he is on this list and not another list about players in the 2021 recruiting class. Either way, like Brandon Turnage, Hadden showed flashes this year of a future great cornerback.

Although he didn’t have a game like the one Turnage had against South Carolina, Hadden had multiple starts and looked good in them. One was against Alabama, where he came away with eight tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble. The other was in the Music City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers, and the secondary struggles weren’t his fault.

An interception in that Music City Bowl pushes Hadden over Turnage. He finished the year with 17 tackles, two tackles for a loss, 13 solo tackles, that pick, a pass deflection and a forced fumble. Such versatility shows what he can be for the future as well.

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