There’s a non QB in the transfer portal that Tennessee needs to be targeting immediately
The Tennessee Vols are expected to be active in the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on January 2.
Most of the transfer portal talk surrounding the Tennessee Vols right now revolves around the quarterback position.
And while it’s true that Tennessee is expected to target a transfer quarterback, the Vols have plenty of other needs to target in the portal.
Specifically, Tennessee needs to address several positions on the defensive side of the ball via the transfer portal.
Tennessee needs to target Wake Forest transfer defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba
Tennessee will definitely need to add some transfer defensive linemen to the roster when the portal opens in January.
The Vols are losing several key defensive lineman this offseason, including Bryson Eason, Joshua Josephs, Dominic Bailey, Jaxson Moi, and Tyre West.
Tennessee has some nice young defensive line talent on the roster, but the Vols undoubtedly need to add some veterans to that group.
Wake Forest transfer defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba would seemingly be a great fit for the Vols.
Ibirogba, who has one season of eligibility remaining, was one of the best defensive linemen in the ACC last season, totaling 21 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Notre Dame is expected to be a factor for Ibirogba, but the Vols should absolutely try to get in the mix.
“Everything Ibirogba does on the football field is done quickly and with 100 percent effort,” noted 247Sports’ Tim Prister. “His extricating maneuverability allows him to shoot through double teams and draw what should be an inordinate number of holding calls against offensive linemen…Ibirogba can attack the B gap and then quickly transition to the A gap before the offensive-line collective can react. His strength at the point of attack repeatedly shines through, which helped earn him reportedly the highest pass-rush win rate among all Power 4 defensive tackles.”
Ibirogba provides the versatility that new Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles loves. And if Tennessee is going to hire a big-time defensive coordinator like Knowles, then they might as well go big in the transfer portal, too.
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