New report confirms suspicion about spring transfer portal window and shows why Tennessee Vols could have trouble making key additions
The Tennessee Vols are expected to be active in the NCAA transfer portal when the spring window opens in a couple of months. Tennessee still has a few needs after adding only four transfer players to their roster during the winter window. Specifically, the Vols could use a cornerback (due to starter Jermod McCoy's ACL […]
The Tennessee Vols are expected to be active in the NCAA transfer portal when the spring window opens in a couple of months.
Tennessee still has a few needs after adding only four transfer players to their roster during the winter window.
Specifically, the Vols could use a cornerback (due to starter Jermod McCoy's ACL injury and his TBD recovery time) and a wide receiver.
Tennessee could also need another interior offensive lineman depending on the outcome of left guard Andrej Karic's request for an extra year of eligibility (the Vols also need to figure out the center position with Cooper Mays moving on to the NFL).
Based on a recent report from On3, which includes quotes from various Power-Four collectives, adding impact players at any of those three positions in the spring will be a tremendous challenge for the Volunteers.
One SEC collective told On3 that cornerback and center will be the biggest need in the spring transfer window — which will inevitably drive up the NIL price for those positions.
"I’d say cornerbacks, we’ll be looking hard there," said one SEC collective to On3. "Those guys are pretty valuable. Cornerback and a true center…..It’s hard to find centers that have played a lot of snaps at our level and have a lot of tread on the tire left."
Another SEC collective and a Big 12 collective also noted to On3 that offensive line is one of the hardest positions to retain, which makes competition for those players even more fierce.
And when it comes to wide receivers, the prices are becoming insane.
"Wide receivers are demanding $1 million now, but that’s kind of life now," said an SEC collective.
"You’re paying three times what a top wide receiver got two or three years ago," added an ACC collective.
On3's Andy Staples pointed out on Thursday that while many programs hope to land game-changing wide receivers in the transfer portal, very few are ever actually available.
Staples noted that only 11 of the projected top 41 wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft transferred at some point in their career (by comparison 11 of the top 17 quarterbacks transferred during their college career).
In other words, most of the wide receivers that are hitting the transfer portal aren't impact players who make a huge difference for a program (especially programs competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff).
One reason that top tier receivers don't often hit the transfer portal is because, as Staples pointed out, top wide receivers typically go pro after their third year in college. And transferring to a new offense could have a negative impact on their draft stock, or it could delay their development.
Combine the insight offered by Staples and the current going price for wide receivers and it's easy to see how it's very unlikely that Tennessee adds an impact wide receiver via the transfer portal in the spring.
Tennessee, of course, will continue to scour the portal for impact players at their top positions of need. But unless Josh Heupel and his staff can uncover a "hidden gem" (as they did with Jermod McCoy when he transferred to Tennessee from Oregon State a year ago), their best route to addressing their top needs will likely involve younger players already on the roster.
