The Tennessee Vols lost several of their top pass rushers this offseason.

EDGE Joshua Josephs is off to the NFL after exhausting his eligibility, while EDGE Caleb Herring is transferring to South Carolina, and EDGE Jordan Ross is transferring to LSU.

Tennessee landed Penn State transfer EDGE Chaz Coleman and Tulane EDGE Jordan Norman as portal additions to help fill the void left by Josephs, Herring, and Ross.

The Vols could also get some pass rushing help from a true freshman in 2026.

ESPN insider points out Vols 2026 EDGE signee as a player who can help Tennessee next fall

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill joined WNML’s SportsTalk on Monday and pointed out 2026 four-star EDGE Jordan Carter as a player that could potentially help the Volunteers next fall.

Carter signed with Tennessee in December.

“I think Jordan Carter is a guy that is going to be a guy that can come in and contribute right away,” said Luginbill. “He’s already 245 pounds. [He’s a] good point of attack guy [and] has an explosive first step off the edge. And you know, they’ve addressed the defensive front significantly — both through high school and through the transfer portal. But because they’re getting younger as opposed to older, they’re going to need those guys to contribute right away.”

Carter, 6-foot-3/245 pounds from Douglasville, GA, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 23 EDGE in the nation and the No. 22 player in the state of Georgia.

Whether or not Carter contributes as a true freshman will depend on how quickly he can pick up new Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense.

One thing working in Carter’s favor is the fact that all of Tennessee’s pass rushers, outside of Coleman, will be new to Knowles’ scheme, which will level the playing field a bit.

Tennessee Volunteers News

Arion Carter is back with the Vols, and the player that was brought in to replace him at Tennessee had a reaction to the news

The Tennessee Vols will have plenty of linebacker depth in 2026.

Zach Ragan