‘He should’ve been in orange and white’ – Former Vol hated to see Tennessee let key player leave Rocky Top
A former Vols defensive lineman hated to see Tennessee let a key player leave Rocky Top this past offseason.
The Tennessee Vols, like every program in college football, aren’t going to have a 100 percent retention rate each offseason.
There are going to be players who transfer for bigger paydays or more playing time. And there are players who will be “let go” in favor of more talented players who are viewed as a better fit.
It’s inevitable that Tennessee is going to lose a player here and there that ends up being really good at their new program (such as Jakobe Thomas at Miami last season).
Former Vol hated to see Tennessee let Jordan Ross get away
One of the talented players that Tennessee lost this past offseason was former five-star EDGE Jordan Ross, who transferred to LSU after two seasons with the Vols.
Ross wasn’t very productive during his first two seasons at Tennessee (1.5 sacks), but he has a high ceiling as a pass rusher.
The former Vol quickly made an impact for LSU, intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown in the first half of the Tigers’ 51-10 season-opening win over Clemson. Ross also had four tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.
“As a defensive line guy, I hated seeing him in purple and gold last night,” said former Vols defensive lineman Marlon Walls on Sunday on The Sports Source. “But he looked good. He’s a long guy — he’s fast and athletic. He looked like he’s put it together on the defensive line. I think he’s going to have a really good year at LSU. He should have been in orange and white.”
“I think Tennessee made a mistake in the fact that they invested so much money in Chaz Coleman and they let Jordan Ross go,” added longtime sports radio host and sportswriter Jimmy Hyams. “With Coleman, you get nothing out of him. But you saw Jordan Ross with a pick six. You saw him with a sack. That guy is terrific, and I think putting him on this (Tennessee) defense would make this defense look a whole lot better.”
There’s no doubt that Ross would’ve been a nice fit in the Vols’ defense this season, but I’m not sure they just “let him go.”
It seems the Vols would’ve welcomed him back in 2026, but he was ready to move on — especially after Tennessee made some defensive staff changes.
Sometimes, a player is just ready to make a change. And while it’s not ideal to watch Ross tear it up for LSU, I don’t think there’s necessarily anything that Tennessee did “wrong” in this situation.
