Tennessee football makes cut for All-Pac-12 UCLA transfer edge rusher Mitchell Agude

There are still scholarships available for Tennessee football to give out, and although Josh Heupel may be done with the Vols’ 2021 recruiting class, he’s not done with the transfer portal. That’s on display this week with UT trending for an elite Power Five transfer out of Southern California.

Mitchell Agude, an All-Pac-12 edge rusher transferring from the UCLA Bruins, has Rocky Top in his top four. Initially a junior college transfer from Corona, Calif., Agude graduated from Santiago High School and then Riverside Community College before spending the last two years at UCLA.

Joining Tennessee football on Agude’s list are the Miami Hurricanes, Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks. With one year of eligibility left and standing at 6’4″ 245 pounds, Agude revealed the schools in the running Tuesday night on Twitter.

A clear advantage for the Vols in this race for Agude is the fact that they are the only ones returning their head coach. Washington, Oregon and Miami all have first-year head coaches. Given Tim Banks’ scheme and how Byron Young thrived in it last year as a defensive end, Agude could be a great fit.

However, Young’s success could be what deters Agude away from Rocky Top. After all, the Vols also have Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison on their roster, so an edge rusher with Agude’s style of play may not have a lot of room for action.

On the other hand, Agude is a bit more versatile in that he could play defensive end or outside linebacker, depending on how the coaches want to use him. He’s also not going to be deterred by offensive-minded coaches who run tempo, evidenced by him spending two years with Chip Kelly.

In 2021, Agude had six and a half tackles for a loss, two sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, two pass deflections and 55 tackles, 25 of which were solo. That earned him Second Team All-Pac-12 honors for the year. As a result, despite the depth, he’d be a great addition to the Vols for 2022.