Tennessee Vols need to pursue highly touted SEC defender who entered NCAA transfer portal this week
It's no secret that the Tennessee Vols need some depth on the defensive side of the ball. Tennessee's secondary is particularly thin, but the Vols could use depth at essentially every defensive position right now. In other words, when a good defensive player hits the NCAA transfer portal, the Vols should be immediately kicking the […]
It's no secret that the Tennessee Vols need some depth on the defensive side of the ball.
Tennessee's secondary is particularly thin, but the Vols could use depth at essentially every defensive position right now.
In other words, when a good defensive player hits the NCAA transfer portal, the Vols should be immediately kicking the tires to see if there's any interest.
On Monday, LSU linebacker Josh White entered the transfer portal.
White is a former four-star recruit from Houston, TX who was rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 9 inside linebacker in the 2020 recruiting class.
The Texas native saw limited action as a true freshman in 2020, totaling just six tackles during a strange pandemic shortened season.
White didn't appear in any games in 2021 while battling injuries. He'll have four years of eligibility remaining at his new school.
The Vols don't have any obvious connections to White, but they should quickly work to build a relationship with the talented linebacker.
White has excellent sideline to sideline speed — the kind that's necessary to play linebacker at a high level in the SEC. He also has great length (33-inch arms according to The Athletic, longer than the NFL average).
Tennessee needs to add as many players with elite speed as possible. A lack of elite speed is the Vols' most obvious deficiency against teams like Alabama and Georgia.
The only problem with pursuing White is that the deadline for intraconference transfers in the SEC has already passed (February 1). That means White would either have to sit out the 2022 season (which I don't think is something he'll consider) or he'd have to get a waiver to play immediately at another SEC program.
LSU just went through a coaching change, hiring Brian Kelly to replace Ed Orgeron. The Tigers' spring practice also just started, so I'm guessing White quickly saw that he wasn't going to be a good fit in Kelly's culture (Kelly is an odd fit as it is in the SEC). That gives White a good case for a waiver.
Waiver or no waiver, the Vols need to show some interest here. Adding White would absolutely make Tennessee's football team better.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
