Old SEC East rival named as an early team to watch for Tennessee Vols transfer running back
Tennessee Vols running back Peyton Lewis plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
Tennessee Vols sophomore running back Peyton Lewis plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
Lewis, a former four-star recruit from Salem, VA, rushed for 629 yards and 10 touchdowns during his two seasons at Tennessee. He also caught eight passes for 56 yards.
The Virginia native has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
One of Tennessee’s SEC rivals is a team to watch for Peyton Lewis
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the South Carolina Gamecocks are among the early schools to watch for Lewis.
Nakos also pointed out Virginia, Florida State, and Syracuse as teams to watch for Lewis (Syracuse running back Yasin Willis is planning to enter the portal as of Tuesday).
Virginia is a program that makes a lot of sense for Lewis, but South Carolina could be a good landing spot for the former Vol if he chooses to stay in the SEC (Tennessee visits South Carolina in 2026).
Tennessee will likely add a transfer running back
The Vols are expected to look for a transfer running back to fill the void left by Lewis.
“I think you have to go get somebody experienced in the portal,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs on The Big Orange Rewind this past weekend. “Obviously, they clearly like Daune Morris, and where Daune Morris is at and kind of his progression. You saw him get more work in the back half of the season – certainly in the last month of the season. I would think he would factor into things in the bowl game for them as well.
“But I think there’s no doubt you’re looking to go into the portal and get a back to go with Morris and DeSean Bishop and go that way. The question is what caliber of back do you get? What’s your financial allotment for a running back out of the portal?”
“I would think they would be portal hunting for a running back,” continued Hubbs. “Someone who’s got experience. I don’t think you’re going to go looking for a redshirt guy who’s coming in with three years of eligibility. I think you’re looking for a one-year guy….You’re looking for [someone like] Star Thomas, who can come in and be a complement to what you have. And then it doesn’t affect your future recruiting as well. So I think you’re looking for a stopgap guy for depth purposes.
“Quite frankly, it would not hurt to look for a guy with with quality hands that could [come] out of the backfield, in terms of a pass catcher, as well. I think we see that more and more in the game these days — whether it’s the college game or the NFL game. So many of these teams are playing that balloon coverage, dropping the safeties deep. [Teams are] patient, throwing it underneath. There’s a lot of stuff available to tight ends and to the tailbacks out of the backfield. Tennessee tried to throw it more to the tailbacks this year out of the backfield. They didn’t catch it well enough. That’s something that has to improve moving forward if they’re going to continue to try to build on that element of their offense.”
Notably, Tennessee didn’t sign a running back during the 2026 recruiting cycle.
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