The Vols are among the final schools for a transfer defender that would be a perfect fit for Tennessee
The Tennessee Vols are being aggressive in the NCAA transfer portal.
The Tennessee Vols are among the final three schools for a transfer defensive lineman that spent the last two seasons with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Tennessee is one of the final three schools that Penn State transfer defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam is still considering, along with Indiana and Notre Dame.
Gilliam played under new Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this past season at Penn State.
The former three-star recruit totaled 16 tackles and a half sack in 11 games in 2025.
Jim Knowles was impressed by Xavier Gilliam last fall at Penn State
Knowles, who was hired last month to replace Tim Banks as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, told reporters in August that Gilliam had been “impressive” during fall practice.
“Xavier Gilliam has been very impressive, very impressive,” said Knowles. “I think after those first two (Durant and Ford), Xavier really stands out the most.”
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin, who was fired in October after getting off to a 3-3 start, also had positive things to say about Gilliam last fall.
“He’s just super consistent, very mature,” said Franklin of Gilliam. “He’s gotten bigger, stronger, and faster. He was a D-end in high school and a basketball player; he’s a really good 305 pounds….He’s productive in the run game, he’s productive in the pass game. He’s come to work every single day, he’s football smart.”
Tennessee badly needs to add some defensive linemen from the transfer portal, and Gilliam would seemingly be an ideal fit since he already has experience in Knowles’ defense.
Indiana and Notre Dame, however, are obviously attractive options for Gilliam, too.
We’ll see how Tennessee’s pursuit of Gilliam shakes out, but this would definitely be a solid transfer pickup for the Vols.
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