Recent Tennessee transfer portal target shuts down Vols for a school that seems odd at first glance, but makes sense

The Vols missed out on a possible replacement for a recent portal loss.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Vols were hoping to beef up some depth, at minimum, at a position where they’re now a little bit thinner than they were on Monday.

That search will have to continue, as Josh Heupel wasn’t able to land a former Georgia Bulldog who entered the transfer portal and was set to visit Tennessee. TE Pearce Spurlin committed on Thursday to transfer to Colorado State, per On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett.

Vols won’t be able to replace Jack Van Dorselaer with Pearce Spurlin, who’s transferring to Colorado State

Spurlin is an interesting player from the context of a great underdog story. He was a top-five tight end out of high school and committed to Georgia as part of their 2023 class. He appeared in six games for Georgia in 2023, posting three catches for 60 yards.

However, a heart condition forced him to have to medically retire from the sport in March 2024. That eventually led to open heart surgery in August 2025, and now Spurlin is able to return to the sport in 2026, it appears. It’s certainly a story and player worth rooting for no matter where your allegiances lie.

That will not be with a Power T on the side of his helmet though. Spurlin will be following new Rams offensive coordinator Pryce Tracy to Fort Collins, who was with him at Georgia as a tight ends quality control coach. That connection helps explain why the former Bulldog is going to, frankly, a significant step down in competition.

With Van Dorselaer entering the portal, Tennessee now has just three tight ends on their roster for 2026: Ethan Davis, DaSaahn Braame, and Cole Harrison. And with the transfer portal set to close at the end of this Friday, time is running out for Heupel to address the position for 2026.

Related Articles