Now that the Transfer Portal is underway, the Vols have been busy getting players on campus. While that hasn’t resulted in many commits yet, Tennessee currently has just two. Despite that, there’s no reason to panic. The Vols still have plenty of visits scheduled, and the portal has only just begun.
5 early Transfer Portal targets emerging for Tennessee football
Tennessee has no shortage of needs this offseason. While it’s tough to narrow it down to just four positions, let’s look at it as if the Vols could only add players at four spots. These are the most critical positions Josh Heupel must address in the Transfer Portal.
1. Quarterback
Assuming Joey Aguilar does not come back, Tennessee will need to add a quarterback. George MacIntyre flashed last fall, but the Vols need a veteran QB1 while MacIntyre develops.
The ideal route for the Vols is to add a one-year veteran who can raise the floor and ceiling of the 2026 squad. Then, in 2027, Tennessee has an open competition between George MacIntyre and 5-star freshman Faizon Brandon.
Josh Heupel will have to seal the deal soon and find a quarterback before its too late.
2. Safety
The position Josh Heupel and Jim Knowles have been the most aggressive in addressing so far is safety. The Vols have already landed Qua Moss from Kansas State and are actively pursuing more talent at the position.
Tennessee missed out on Tawfiq Byard, but they still have a lot of solid options. A name Vols fans should get familiar with is Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls. He was recruited to play at Oklahoma State while Jim Knowles was there. He would bring stability to the safety room and add 29 games of Power Four experience, along with a 70.8 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He is a good player who would complement Moss and Farooq next fall.
The Vols still need one more safety to elevate the defense in 2026.
3. Defensive line
Maybe it's cheating, but I figured I'd pile in the entire defensive line into one big unit. The Vols need difference makers on the EDGE and at LEO. Plus, the middle needs defensive tackles. The defensive line has had a lot of attrition, and the run defense was extremely poor in 2025.
Tennessee has already been hard at work on this front. They have two of the top five EDGEs visiting in Chaz Coleman and Adam Trick. Tennessee has been aggressive in getting defensive tackles, too. Xavier Gilliam from Penn State and Mateen Ibriogba from Wake Forest.
Josh Heupel needs to add some impactful players on the defensive line because games are often won and lost in the trenches.
4. Offensive line
Tennessee has lost six offensive linemen so far in the Transfer Portal. The Vols bring back four of the five starters from last fall, only losing Lance Heard. The young unit had its ups and downs, so they could go about this two ways.
Tennessee could go after a few high-level starters or focus on adding depth. Either way, bolstering the roster is a must. They could open a competition for a spot or land a top-tier player in the portal.
When the dust settles, the Vols will have a revamped offensive line room next season.