Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols just made a big transfer portal statement
The Tennessee Vols made a big time transfer addition on Thursday evening.
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols made quite a statement on Thursday evening.
Tennessee made a couple of key transfer additions, landing one key target over some of the top programs in the sport.
Penn State transfer defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam committed to Tennessee on Thursday just before Miami and Ole Miss kicked off in the Fiesta Bowl.
Gilliam, 6-foot-3/300 pounds from Montgomery Village, MD, totaled 16 tackles, a forced fumble, and a half sack for the Nittany Lions in 2025. He’ll instantly become a key part of Tennessee’s defensive line rotation.
Notre Dame and Indiana, among others, were also in the mix for the Penn State transfer.
Gilliam has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Gilliam is a great fit for the Vols due to his one season of experience in new Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense (Gilliam and Knowles were together at Penn State in 2025).
Knowles told reporters last August that Gilliam had been “impressive” during fall camp.
“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.”
The Vols badly needed to add some interior defensive linemen after losing Bryson Eason and Dominic Bailey to eligibility. Tennessee, though, could still use a transfer EDGE and possibly another defensive lineman. But landing Gilliam is definitely a huge get for the Volunteers.
The Tennessee Vols find their new kicker
Landing Gilliam wasn’t the only piece of good news for the Vols on Thursday night.
Tennessee also found its new kicker.
Louisville transfer kicker Cooper Ranvier committed to Tennessee as well.
Ranvier, who is from Lexington, made 21 of his 25 field goals last season as a redshirt freshman.
The Vols were in need of a kicker after Max Gilbert entered the transfer portal.
Tennessee still has work do to in the portal. But landing one of their top defensive line targets and addressing the kicker position is a hell of a Thursday for the Volunteers.
The Vols still need a linebacker, a running back, a safety (or two), and a quarterback from the portal.
Tennessee needs to continue to be aggressive in the portal, but the Vols let everyone know on Thursday night that they aren’t messing around.
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