Tennessee’s day took a tough turn as the Vols fell to Illinois in a heartbreaking Music City Bowl loss, capped by a game-winning field goal. And as if that wasn’t enough, the news only got worse shortly after, with immediate transfer portal movement adding to a frustrating night for Tennessee fans.
This offseason is shaping up to be a critical one for Tennessee, and the transfer portal will play a major role, with players both leaving and arriving. We’ve already seen a few dominoes fall between the final game of the regular season and the bowl game, but now the Vols have their first true offseason (intention) portal entry.
It is being reported that Herb Gray, a redshirt freshman defensive lineman, is intending on entering the portal.
Tennessee redshirt freshman defensive lineman Herb Gray (@herbgray2) plans to enter the portal, @APSportsAgency tells @mzenitz, @CodyNagel247 and me.
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) December 31, 2025
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound Gray played in two games this season. Held an 88 rating in the 2024 class. https://t.co/Hgw2LsvpxK pic.twitter.com/zf2HJBVOL8
Herb Gray is finding a new home
Well, that didn’t take long. Moments after the loss, Tennessee loses a young defensive lineman.
Gray was a 3-Star prospect out of high school from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who the Vols beat out Penn State and West Virginia for his commitment. Hopefully, he can find a new home and can make a difference. He still is a young, promising defensive lineman with plenty of size.
In 2025, Gray only played eight snaps for Tennessee, but young defensive linemen typically don’t make it in the rotation. You never wanna lose any sort of lineman, especially one on the defensive side of the ball.
Tennessee will likely have some tough conversations with Jim Knowles, now leading the defense, pushing out some players who aren’t up to the standard. He has a lot of work cut out for him this offseason, and finding players who are talented and fit his scheme is necessary.
Tennessee already lost Joshua Josephs to the NFL Draft, and the Vols are losing a plethora of seniors on the defensive line. There will be more movement in the transfer portal, but hopefully not more on the defensive front.
Losing a talented young player to the portal is always tough, but the timing makes it sting even more coming right on the heels of such a heartbreaking loss.