Tennessee football is struggling in the transfer portal. This cycle has not been kind to the Vols, as they have lost several players and have struggled to recruit new players into the program.
Most recently, Tennessee was in the running for transfer interior offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon from USC but lost out to Oregon. Pregnon and On3's Hayes Fawcett announced the decision to transfer to Oregon on Tuesday morning.
BREAKING: USC star transfer IOL Emmanuel Pregnon has Committed to Oregon, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 14, 2025
The 6’5 320 IOL will have 1 year of eligibility remaining
He is ranked as the No. 1 IOL in the Transfer Portal (per On3 Industry) 🦆https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/vS0rNFy5Le
Tennessee and Texas were also in the running for Pregnon but likely didn't have a real chance at landing him unless something fell through with Oregon.
The Vols already missed out on Northwestern transfer offensive lineman Josh Thompson, who looked like he was going to commit to Tennessee but flipped to LSU right before signing. Tennessee is now 0 for 2 in recruiting elite offensive linemen in the transfer portal.
Tennessee still has only two incoming transfers this cycle. Alabama transfer wide receiver Amari Jefferson and Arizona transfer offensive lineman Wendell Moe Jr. are the only players who have committed to Tennessee out of the portal.
This shows Tennessee's continued struggle in the portal. Several players are still available who could help Tennessee next season, but the list is getting slimmer by the day.
As a result, Tennessee's offensive line could continue to struggle next season. Center Cooper Mays, right guard Javontez Spraggins, and offensive tackle John Campbell are graduating this spring. The Vols are also losing seniors Andrej Karic, Jackson Lampley, and Dayne Davis, depleting Tennessee's offensive line depth.
Tennessee will have to find a way to get more involved with its NIL if the Vols are going to bring enough playmakers to Rocky Top to compete for a championship.
Once it opens later this year, the spring transfer portal window can help Tennessee. The Vols will have to look to add some depth in the portal over the next couple of weeks or in the spring window to fill out their roster with depth on the offensive line and on defense.