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Report(al) Card: Tennessee Volunteers

Feb 6, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Josh Heupel

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler 

We continue our series grading each SEC transfer portal class. Today’s report card is for the Tennessee Volunteers. 

We talked with Eric Cain of LockedOn Vols to get his thoughts on the class. Here’s our recap of Tennessee’s class. 

Numbers to Know 

  • Players Lost: 23
  • Players Gained: 21
  • 247Sports Ranking: No. 21
  • On3 Ranking: No. 24

Headliner – EDGE  Chaz Coleman (from Penn State) 

Coleman was the No. 5 player in the portal cycle and the second highest ranked defensive player in the country after transferring from Penn State. He didn’t have a ton of production his freshman season with just one sack, but is highly regarded as one of the highest ceiling players on that side of the ball in the country. 

Coleman chose Tennessee over Ohio State, LSU and South Carolina. He’ll follow his defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Knoxville, and should be a bright spot for a defense that clearly missed James Pearce in 2025 after he was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. 

Instant Impact – CB Kayin Lee (from Auburn) 

On paper Tennessee lost a lot in the secondary. Problematic DB Boo Carter left for Colorado. Rickey Gibson III left for Texas A&M, and highly touted Jermod McCoy entered the NFL Draft. Those three players were thought to be huge key pieces to a Tennessee secondary that should have been a strength for the 2025 defense. All three combined for just nine games played on the season, and eight of those were from Boo Carter. 

This offseason, re-tooling the secondary was a major focus for Josh Heupel and company. That starts with Lee. Lee was a two year starter at Auburn and has held receivers to under 50 percent receptions on targets in his career and three interceptions. Last year he allowed just 14 touchdowns in SEC play and only 72 yards after the catch all season. He should be a very high floor talent-rich defensive back that will man one of the corner spots from day one. 

Biggest Sleeper – S DeJuan Lane (from Penn State) 

Lane only logged 290 snaps last year in Happy Valley. But talking with Eric Cain of LockedOn Vols, he thinks Lane’s experience in Jim Knowles’ defense could go a long way in helping him be a contributor this season for Tennessee. He’s a physical safety that’s comfortable playing against the run. Last season he played 101 snaps in the box and 159 at his true free safety position. Lane was a four star recruit and a top 300 player in the portal this past offseason. 

Overall Grade – B 

There is not a team I’m higher on in the SEC in terms of turnaround and potential ceiling than South Carolina and Tennessee. 

Tennessee’s offense is always going to score points under Josh Heupel. They led the league in scoring a season ago at 39.8. They have finished in the top two in scoring offense in the SEC in four of the five years Heupel has been at Tennessee. I don’t expect that to change, regardless of who the quarterback is when the season starts. 

Pairing an offensive minded coach like Heupel with one of the best defensive coordinators in college football should work. The concern with Knowles’ defense is that in year one of install there tends to be a very slow learning curve due to how complex the system is. 

Knowles brought four players from Penn State with him to Knoxville. I love what Tennessee did in the portal. The Vols brought in 21 players and 15 were from Power Four programs. In comparison they lost 28 players and only 13 were able to transfer to other Power Four programs. That kind of exchange rate is yet another reason for why I think Tennessee excelled in the portal. 

Chris Marler

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