The Tennessee Vols will unexpectedly have a new top backup at one of the most important positions on the field in 2026
The Tennessee Vols have lost a significant amount of offensive line depth to the transfer portal.
The Tennessee Vols will have a new backup in 2026 at one of the most important positions on the field.
News broke on Sunday evening, via a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, that redshirt freshman William Satterwhite is entering the transfer portal.
Satterwhite, 6-3, 305 pounds from Barberton, OH, served as the backup to starting center Sam Pendleton in 2025.
Satterwhite saw limited action for the Vols in 2025. He played 15 snaps on the road against Kentucky and 19 snaps in a home game against Arkansas.
The former four-star recruit has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Who will be the Tennessee Vols’ backup center with William Satterwhite entering the portal?
With Satterwhite and redshirt freshman Max Anderson entering the portal, it likely means that freshman Nic Moore will get the first shot at earning the backup center job behind Pendleton.
Moore was part of the center competition last fall between Pendleton, Satterwhite, and Anderson.
Tennessee could also look to the portal for a backup center, but that avenue is unlikely to be fruitful for the Vols.
Most “backup center” type players in the portal are in a similar situation to Satterwhite — those guys are looking for landing spots where they can compete for a starting job.
Tennessee will most likely need to develop center depth with some of the young offensive linemen on its roster.
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