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Tennessee football: Ranking every player who transferred from Vols by 2021 performance

By Caleb Calhoun

North Carolina Tar Heels running back Ty Chandler (19)takes the ball down the field while playing against South Carolina Gamecocks during the DukeÕs Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Thursday, December 30, 2021.Jg Mayobowl 123021 036
North Carolina Tar Heels running back Ty Chandler (19)takes the ball down the field while playing against South Carolina Gamecocks during the DukeÕs Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Thursday, December 30, 2021.Jg Mayobowl 123021 036 /
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Tennessee linebacker J.J. Peterson (6) participates in a drill during a Tennessee Vols fall football practice on University of Tennessee’s campus Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019.Volfootball0904 0336
Tennessee linebacker J.J. Peterson (6) participates in a drill during a Tennessee Vols fall football practice on University of Tennessee’s campus Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019.Volfootball0904 0336 /

Last year, Tennessee football suffered more transfers than probably any school in history. The coaching change from Jeremy Pruitt to Josh Heupel, a 3-7 season the year before and an NCAA investigation all made that happen. The story for the Vols is that Heupel still navigated that difficulty and went 7-6, often with the help of his own transfers.

What became of the 37 players who entered the portal, though? That number can be traced all the way back to the preseason of 2020. In this post, we’re going to break down how every player who left UT fared. These players will be ranked based on where they landed and how they performed.

These transfers have been separated into categories. All 22 FBS transfers will be ranked with the 14 who were significant contributors each getting a page on their own. We’ll also have a page ranking FCS transfers and transfers to non Division I schools. Let’s start with Tennessee football transfers who landed nowhere, though.

Transfers who landed nowhere

Jackson Lowe

  • Tight end
  • Redshirt freshman
  • Entered portal Sept. 16, 2020

One of the transfers before the season started, Jackson Lowe was supposed to be one of the Vols’ future star tight ends at 6’4″ 249 pounds. Instead, the 2019 commit transferred to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. However, he didn’t play there, entered the portal again on Jan. 19, 2021, and hasn’t yet landed anywhere else.

Sayeed Shah

  • Linebacker
  • Redshirt freshman
  • Entered portal Jan. 5, 2021

A 6’3″ 223-pound walk-on, Sayeed Shah never played for Rocky Top. He entered the portal less than two weeks before Jeremy Pruitt was fired.

J.J. Peterson

  • Linebacker
  • Redshirt sophomore
  • Entered portal Jan. 25, 2021

At 6’2″ 233 pounds, J.J. Peterson was an underrated loss for the Vols at linebacker. He was a four-star commitment in 2018 and played 13 games in 2019. Peterson entered the portal two days before Josh Heupel was hired but never found a home.

Emmit Gooden

  • Defensive lineman
  • Redshirt senior
  • Entered portal March 3, 2021

Initially a four-star junior college transfer in 2018, Emmit Gooden had a roller coaster ride. He played all 12 games for Tennessee football in 2018 but then suffered a season-ending injury in 2019. In July of 2020, he was dismissed from the team after a legal issue. The 6’3″ 290-pound then entered the portal last spring with a year of eligibility left but didn’t land anywhere.

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