The College Football Playoff is down to four teams, and Tennessee can’t help but wish it were one of them. Josh Heupel made the CFP in 2024, but the Vols were dominated in Columbus by eventual national champion Ohio State. The good news is that the anchor of the dominant Ohio State defense in 2024, Jim Knowles, is now in Tennessee running the defensive side of things.
Tennessee already named a team to watch for 5-star EDGE in the transfer portal
After the Miami Hurricanes' win over the Buckeyes, former Tennessee safety Jakobe Thomas wasn't shy when it came to trolling Ohio State and showing love to Tennessee. He posted this on his Instagram story:
Jakobe Thomas on his Instagram story after Miami’s win over Ohio State: https://t.co/mimEVpk1dh pic.twitter.com/w6zCme6D9b
— Trevor McGee (@TrevorMcGee12) January 1, 2026
Vols fans have to love the aspect of revenge on the Buckeyes, as that was a miserable game to watch in 2024.
Jakobe Thomas gets revenge for Tennessee in CFP game
Losing Thomas last offseason certainly hurt, as the safety position was a constant struggle in 2025 for the Vols. Thomas originally committed to Middle Tennessee out of high school before transferring to the Vols. Thomas, in 2024 for Tennessee, had 22 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 passes defended, and 1 Sack.
After the 2024 season Thomas decided to hit the portal once again and ended up at Miami. In 2025, he had 65 tackles, 4 TFLs, 4 passes defended, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. It's great to see him balling out, but this was precisely what Tennessee needed in 2025 on their own roster. It's too bad that Thomas decided to go his separate way.
Thomas had an interception and seven tackles against the Buckeyes in the New Year’s Eve matchup, finally giving him a standout performance versus Ohio State. Looking ahead, Josh Heupel and Jim Knowles will almost certainly be active in the transfer portal to add help at safety. They do have Edrees Farooq returning, but he showed a lot of inconsistency during the 2025 season.
Big Orange National always has a great connection with players, and even when they move on, they are still Vols for life. Tennessee fans will be rooting for Thomas in the semifinals versus Ole Miss next week.