Tennessee has wasted no time in the Transfer Portal today, reaching out to a number of talented recruits. Josh Heupel and the Vols staff have already been named a team to watch for the number one edge rusher, Chaz Coelman. With that said, the team’s biggest need at the moment is in the secondary, and more specifically at the safety position.
Who's leaving and who's joining: Tennessee football's 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
Jim Knowles will have his work cut out transforming Tennessee’s defensive backfield, and it starts with bringing in capable players from the transfer portal. The safety position in 2025 left plenty to be desired, as it was mediocre at best in pass coverage. They allowed too many big plays and struggled to support the run defense effectively.
Tennessee fans should be fired up at the fact that help could be on the way soon. On3's Steve Wiltfong is reporting that Colorado Buffaloes safety Tawfiq Byard is planning on visiting Knoxville very soon.
Colorado Safety Tawfiq Byard is set to visit Tennessee in the coming days per Steve Wiltfong. Byard is the younger brother of former Tennessee Titan Kevin Byard pic.twitter.com/hyl5J3tcHr
— Joey Petersen (@joeypetersen8) January 2, 2026
Tawfiq Byard is a top safety target for Josh Heupel
Right now, Saturday Blitz has Byard ranked as the No. 2 safety in the Transfer Portal, only behind Tennessee's Boo Carter. Byard would be arguably the best overall get, regardless of position, for Tennessee this cycle if they can land him.
All for Tennessee did predict Byard as a potential commitment for the Vols a few days ago, and it looks like we are one step closer to that being correct. Byard does have some family ties to the state of Tennessee. His brother Kevin, an All-Pro NFL safety, was a Titans player for many years and played at Middle Tennessee State.
You can’t overlook the fact that Texas A&M is also heavily involved in his recruitment. The Aggies have deep NIL pockets and have a great defense under Mike Elko. They are an appealing destination for sure. Getting Byard is still a top priority for Heupel and Knowles, and they will make it known when he is on campus this week.
Stay tuned to All for Tennessee for updates on Byard's recruitment. This one could move very quickly.