Tennessee football: Julian Nixon in transfer portal a concern at TE

He committed to Tennessee football as a receiver to play for Jeremy Pruitt before converting to tight end in Josh Heupel’s system. Taking that into account along with the recruiting the Vols have done at the position, Julian Nixon entering the transfer portal shouldn’t be a big deal.

However, the current roster makeup at the position combined with how spring ball went actually does make it a concern. Tight end is set this year with Jacob Warren and Princeton Fant back. Nixon was beginning competition for the starting job in 2023.

The only other scholarship tight ends for Tennessee football this year are Miles Campbell, a four-star recruit in 2021, and UCF Knights transfer Charlie Browder. Nixon’s decision to transfer was revealed Wednesday morning on Twitter.

If Nixon entered the portal because Campbell and Browder both outperformed him, that would be one thing. However, Campbell was out in the spring due to injury. That means Nixon specifically entered the portal because of lack of production with his opportunities.

Perhaps he was too much of a tweener given his conversion from wide receiver despite his 6’3″ 235 frame.Either way, with Campbell not playing, there’s no way Nixon would have entered the portal after spring practice if he had balled out during the spring.

Browder was the only other tight end there to outshine him among scholarship players who will be on the roster past this year. It’s easy to see Browder standing out more too, as Heupel went after him specifically, and he’s played in Heupel’s system.

Honestly, that’s a scary situation for Tennessee football to be in. We know from last year that Heupel likes to use two tight ends. Campbell was a highly touted tight end out of high school, and to Heupel’s credit, he has a commitment from Ethan Davis, a four-star across the board at the position, for 2023.

There were no commitments in the 2022 class at the position, though, and so far there are no other commitments in the 2023 class. That means beyond this year, at the moment, Heupel needs two of three to work out among Browder, Campbell and Davis.

At this point, we only have slight evidence of Campbell being the one to work out, as his performance in the spring may have been what sent Nixon into the portal. That’s not enough right now, though, given the minimal depth past this year at the position.

You can never bet on all your commitments working out when you recruit. The whole purpose of depth is to have competition and be able to find the right guy. That’s obvious at quarterback, but it’s also the case everywhere else.

It’s even more clear at a position like tight end. After all, they are used for blocking still, so a solid rotation there is necessary. Sure, Heupel’s system may use them in a more finesse way, but even that requires depth because of the tempo he likes to run. As a result, Nixon in the portal is a bit of a concern going forward.