assessing the requirements for Tennessee’s transfer portal for every defensive position.

Undergraduate FBS players have access to the NCAA transfer portal through Monday, and Tennessee has already begun scouting and reaching out to players from other programs whose records are in the database in order to pursue other opportunities. After being chosen for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Sunday, the Vols still have one game left in the 2023 season: they will play Iowa in Orlando on New Year’s Day. However, the coaching staff will spend the majority of the upcoming weeks evaluating their needs and assembling the roster for 2024.

With the Early Signing Period approaching later in December, this is a big recruiting month. Tennessee’s coaches will be focusing on portal targets during their travels and remaining visitation days.

Tennessee’s preference, according to third-year head coach Josh Heupel, is to build the majority of the program through traditional high school recruiting. The Vols currently have a 20-member class of committed players ranked No. 12 for 2024, which includes 12 blue-chippers. This class comes after a top-10 2023 class. However, the Vols demonstrated a year ago that they will make use of the transfer portal to add players to the roster when needed and to acquire plug-and-play starters.

Which positions should the Vols focus on with the openings they intend to use on transfers as roster-management season gets underway? Portal targets come in various flavors: from players who are more likely to be depth or rotational pieces to players who are quick additions brought in to cover a void. There are also more developmental transfers, some of whom may have graduated from high school a year or two ago and still have several seasons of eligibility remaining.

A veteran tight end who declared two weeks ago that he was going to use the NCAA transfer portal has Tennessee in the running for his services. He now intends to pay the Vols a visit in the upcoming days.