Tennessee Football: Recap of the Vols transfer portal pickups, more

Tennessee football has had some notable pickups off of the transfer portal. Let’s break down each new transfer and discuss the impacts they will have on the Vols football program next year.

Josh Heupel has been firing on all cylinders with transfer pickups and has racked up a total of 8 so far over the offseason. It’s safe to say that Heupel is far from over and will likely continue picking up transfers throughout the offseason.

Coach Heupel seems contemptuous of Joe Milton and incoming freshman Nico Iamaleava at quarterback and hasn’t targeted a single quarterback. This shows one thing, Joe and Nico are insanely good. Tennessee football has the future of their program in good hands with these two stud quarterbacks.

Heupel has been targeting mainly defensive players and adding strength to his offensive line, but they also added some insane offensive weapons to help out Joe Milton next year. It appears these were the two main goals of the transfer portal and they have done an outstanding job at it.

Oregon WR Transfer: Dont’e Thornton Jr.

Dont’e will be coming to the Vols next year as a 6’5 250-pound Junior. As a Sophomore this past season, Dont’e had a good season with 17 receptions, 366 yards, and 1 touchdown. He will be a good addition to the Volunteer wide receiver room. Dont’e is an incredible deep threat, and if we have learned one thing from Joe Milton, it’s that he can certainly throw the ball far. Dont’e was a 4-star in the class of 2021 and ranked 57th nationally. He is by far, one of the most talented players in the portal.

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BYU CB Transfer: Gabe Jeudy-Lally

Gabe Jeudy-Lally is a 6-foot-2-inch lockdown cornerback. He finished the season for the Cougars last year with 30 tackles and 6 pass deflections and has tallied over 100 tackles in his career at BYU and Vanderbilt. Gabe is going to be a huge addition to the Tennessee football secondary and should be able to make an immediate impact on the field.

BYU LB Transfer: Keenan Pili

Pili is a workhorse of a linebacker and had 62 total tackles last year for the Cougars. Pili will be coming to Tennessee next year as a 6’3 230-pound senior and has had a total of 190 tackles over his career at BYU.

Miami OT Transfer: John Campbell Jr.

Miami offensive tackle, John Campbell has insanely fast feet, is strong, and extremely athletic. He is a 6’5 320-pound monster of an offensive lineman. Nobody is going to get by him when he gets to Tennessee and he is going to be a great addition to the Vols’ offensive line.

Texas OT Transfer: Andrej Karic

Karic was an outstanding offensive tackle at the University of Texas. Karic is a 6’5 300-pound lineman that simply just doesn’t get pushed around at all. He is going to be a great addition to the Volunteer frontline and will work well with fellow OT transfer John Campbell.

Arizona State DL Transfer: Omarr Norman-Lott

Omarr is a dangerous defensive lineman with crazy fast hands and quick feet. he is a 6’3 290-pound beast that is relentless at getting to the quarterback. He is a young guy, with tons of upside and will be a huge addition to the defensive line.

UC Davis TE Transfer: McCallan Castles

One of the lesser-known names is the UC Davis Tight End transfer, McCallan Castles. Castles played extremely well at UC Davis and will be a huge addition to the Vols as they have been lacking Tight end depth.

Indiana Kicker Transfer: Charles Campbell 

Charles Campbell returns to his hometown of Tennessee to play for the Volunteers next year. He went 100% last year on extra points and 70% on everything else. He is a good kicker and a very experienced player. He will be a good addition to the Vols.