Former Tennessee Vols player transfers for a second time

Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Addison Nichols is on the move for the second straight offseason.  Nichols, who signed with the Vols as a four-star recruit during the 2022 recruiting cycle, spent the first two seasons of his career at Tennessee.  The Georgia native transferred from Tennessee to Arkansas after the 2023 season.  Nichols started […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google

Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Addison Nichols is on the move for the second straight offseason. 

Nichols, who signed with the Vols as a four-star recruit during the 2022 recruiting cycle, spent the first two seasons of his career at Tennessee. 

The Georgia native transferred from Tennessee to Arkansas after the 2023 season. 

Nichols started 10 games at center for the Razorbacks in 2024 before reentering the NCAA transfer portal after the regular season. 

On Wednesday, Nichols officially transferred to SMU. 

Earlier this year, Nichols said he left Tennessee because he didn't see himself hitting his full potential in the Vols' offensive line room. 

“Coach (Josh) Heupel is a great guy, a great coach and has a great program,” said Nichols. “Couldn’t say a bad thing about him. Definitely learned a lot through my time there, but at the end of the day, I just didn’t see myself hitting my full potential in the room I was in."

“Like I said, nothing bad to say about the program at Tennessee," added Nichols. "There’s some great people, Coach Heupel does a tremendous job with the program and culture. I learned a lot about football and being a man during my time there. It’s just one of those things where, looking forward, I needed more.”

It's unclear what led to Nichols' decision to leave Arkansas, but there's no doubt that SMU is getting a solid offensive lineman with some valuable SEC experience. 

Related Articles