The regular season is in the books for Tennessee, and a season after their first College Football Playoff appearance, the Volunteers don't look to be in line to make it back this season. After an 8-4 season, Tennessee just suffered too many losses this season to be in contention to get back into the playoffs.
So, with a bowl game on the horizon for the Volunteers and the regular season officially over, players are already planning for their future, and for quite a few of them, it doesn't have Tennessee in it. Head coach Josh Heupel was already handed the bad news that defensive lineman Jamal Wallace would be entering the transfer portal.
However, the bad news doesn't end there for Tennessee when it comes to the transfer portal, as another defensive lineman has informed Heupel he doesn't plan on being in a Volunteers uniform next season.
Tennessee redshirt freshman Kellen Lindstrom plans to enter transfer
Tennessee redshirt freshman DL Kellen Lindstrom intends to enter the portal per @CoachMikeShafer.
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) December 1, 2025
Springfield (Mo.) native and former Composite four-star.https://t.co/7oIh7GjRw2 pic.twitter.com/Wsvs7C5ETk
Tennessee is losing not just one, but two defensive linemen on the same day to the transfer portal, as it has been reported that redshirt freshman Kellen Lindstrom is also planning to leave the program through the portal.
This is a big hit on a Tennessee defensive line that is going to be decimated now. Lindstrom is a former four-star recruit according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Lindstrom only totaled two tackles for the Volunteers this season, so while he didn't make a huge impact on the line, he wasn't solid depth for Tennessee.
Heupel is going to have to hit the portal hard this season in order to rebuild a defense that is already losing players.