The season is upon us, yes, the transfer portal. Players are announcing their intentions to join the portal right now, looking for a new home. It's inevitable in this era of college football for players to leave their program, but some hurt much more than others.
The Tennessee football program brings back plenty of talent, so their are plenty of players Josh Heupel and staff needs to recruit to keep on this roster. Heupel has done a solid job building up depth for the Vols, but there are some guys he cannot afford to lose.
Let's take a look at what four players Tennessee needs to keep in Knoxville at all costs.
1. WR Braylon Staley
Braylon Staley was one of the best freshman receivers in the nation in 2025. Staley played in all 12 games this year. He racked up 64 catches for 806 yards and six touchdowns.
Make no mistake, the wideout room is probably the deepest room in Knoxville, but it's important Josh Heupel keeps his best athlete on the roster. Staley has elite burst and big play potential. Losing a wide receiver like him would sting because Staley has a good chance to be an early NFL draft pick and play on Sundays. For Tennessee, the significance is obvious.
Keeping around a young elite athlete should be a major priority for Josh Heupel.
2. DB Ty Redmond
One of the biggest surprises from the 2025 Tennessee football class was 3-star Ty Redmond. In 2025, Redmond led Tennessee in passes defended with nine, and he also had three interceptions. After all, Redmond is just scratching the surface of his talent.
Redmond is a tall cornerback with length and athleticism, a combo that is deadly. There is a reason he was named to the All-SEC Third Team as a freshman, he's a stud. With it likely the Vols will lose Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy. What’s clear is that Josh Heupel needs to keep as many starting-caliber defensive backs around as possible
Ty Redmond should be the top priority top keep around for Tennessee.
3. LT Lance Heard
The former 5-star prospect Lance Heard was one of the big transfer portal wins during the Heupel era. Heard in 2025 played in all 12 games and logged 832 snaps for the Vols. He is the top returning lineman for Tennessee in 2026.
Finding quality portal lineman is tough, especially tackles, and the good lineman have plenty of suitors. Keeping Heard around needs to be a major priority for Tennessee. Heard is a very good pass blocker, as he only allowed one sack in 420 pass protection snaps. If Tennessee has a new quarterback next fall, having the reassurance of an elite tackle on the blind side will be extremely helpful.
At the end of the day, Football starts in the trenches so Heupel needs to keep around his best lineman.
4. LB Arion Carter
Yesterday it was announced that junior linebacker Arion Carter made the All-SEC Second Team. Carter led Tennessee in tackles with 76, he also added 1.5 sacks, one pass defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery
Keeping a veteran linebacker around like Carter will be massive. Carter isn't an elite player, but he's a hard-working, hard-nosed linebacker with great instincts. To go a step further, the linebacker room needs some improvement next fall, and keeping Carter around to mentor the young guys and transfers will pay dividends.
The reality is, Carter needs to be on this defense in 2026.