Tennessee suddenly became one of the biggest transfer portal stories in college football on Tuesday night, and more is to come
The Tennessee Vols took the transfer portal madness to 10 on Tuesday night.
The Tennessee Vols went from being somewhat dormant in the transfer portal on Tuesday night to being a full-blown volcano.
After the afternoon brought bad news — Wake Forest transfer defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba committed to Texas Tech without making his planned visit to Tennessee — the Vols ended the night with the news that one of the biggest transfer quarterback names in the portal is set to visit Rocky Top.
Oh, and the Vols are losing a former five-star recruit.
It’s a volcano. It’s not all good news.
Tennessee’s quarterback plan becomes clearer
For weeks we’ve been wondering what Josh Heupel was going to do at quarterback. Everyone knows the Vols need another quarterback, but Tennessee hasn’t been aggressive in pursuing one.
Until Tuesday night.
VolQuest broke the news on Tuesday night during Tennessee’s basketball game against Texas that Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt is set to visit Knoxville beginning on Wednesday evening.
The visit will last multiple days according to VolQuest.
Leavitt is one of the most highly sought after quarterbacks in the portal. He’s visited multiple schools at this point — including LSU on Tuesday night.
Leavitt, who is from a town that’s just 45 minutes from former Vols quarterback Erik Ainge’s hometown in Oregon, started his career at Michigan State before landing at Arizona State. His 2025 season was shortened by a foot injury, but he passed for 4,513 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 20 games at Arizona State. Leavitt also rushed for 743 yards and 10 touchdowns.
It doesn’t seem Leavitt is going to commit on the spot anywhere (though you never know). So we’ll see which school he chooses. Some folks in the sport think LSU is preparing to go in another direction at quarterback.
Tennessee could also be in the mix for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson if he returns to college. It’s unclear what he plans to do at this point, but most feel he’s going pro.
The Vols’ other option is Joey Aguilar getting an additional year of eligibility. But that too seems unlikely.
It may be Leavitt or bust for the Vols.
EDGE Jordan Ross is on the move
The other piece of news on Tuesday is that former five-star EDGE Jordan Ross is hitting the portal. His status had been up in the air.
Ross is a high level talent. I would assume the Vols didn’t want him to transfer, but it’s unknown how new Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles felt about Ross in his scheme. Either way, he’s a good player. And he won’t be on Tennessee’s roster anymore.
Tennessee needs to land some defensive line talent in the portal. It’s not a want, it’s a must.
Several other schools that are aggressive in the portal, such as Notre Dame and Ohio State, are also in the mix for some of the Vols’ top defensive targets. One of those is Penn State EDGE Chaz Coleman, who took his visit to Ohio State on Tuesday after visiting Tennessee. The Vols may be fighting a losing battle here. Coleman is from Ohio and nearly went there out of high school. He played for Knowles in 2025 at Penn State. But it’s unclear how much of a factor, if any, that will make in his decision. Tennessee is still in it, but they’re going to have pull off a hell of a closing job to win this one. We’ll see.
The Vols are also in the mix for several other highly rated transfer players. It truly changes by the hour.
I think the Vols feel some urgency. I don’t think this is the way Heupel prefers to go about roster building — I think most feel the same way — but he recognizes it’s what you have to do now to build a roster that can compete into January. But he’s going to have to close on some of these top targets. While I don’t think there should be pressure on him (I’m a development first kinda guy…but it is what it is), there is. And these next few days will be critical.
We’re about to see if Josh Heupel can close against the top coaches in college football.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Tennessee, Alabama, or the NFL: The best decision for Ty Simpson is obvious, but it’s understandable if the QB takes another path
Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson is reportedly weighing entering the NFL Draft or returning to college.
