The 2026 football transfer portal opened on Jan. 2 and has already shifted the landscape of several college football programs. College Football Playoff teams like Indiana and Texas Tech have bolstered their rosters for next season while programs like Florida State have been rocked by the portal, losing several key players. 

Tennessee has seen the negative and positive sides of the portal in its early stages, by both acquiring and losing players from essential position groups in the first three days.  

As the portal entry deadline of Jan. 16 nears, the Volunteers will continue to monitor players from across the country, to improve their roster for the 2026 season. 

Placekicker Max Gilbert made his departure from the Volunteers official as he entered the portal on the first day and has since signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Gilbert, who received heavy criticism throughout the 2025 season after several crucial missed kicks, was statistically one of the best kickers in Tennessee’s history. Gilbert made 75.6% of his field goal attempts, ranking third in UT history.  

Offensive tackle Lance Heard also entered the portal at the earliest opportunity, after two seasons with the Volunteers. Heard was considered to be a potential NFL draft prospect but decided to remain in college football to exhaust his eligibility. He will do so at another program. Heard was an ALL-SEC lineman with the Vols.

One reason for Heard's departure may have been the prevailing sentiment within the program that David Sanders, Jr., who played right tackle in his freshman year, was targeted to move to left tackle next season -- forcing Heard to move somewhere.   

Running back Peyton Lewis officially entered the portal after previously sharing his intentions to do so weeks prior to its opening. This season with the Vols, Lewis tallied 290 yards and 7 TDs.  

Tennessee’s primary area of focus for this offseason must be the defense. Hiring Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator was a great start, but the Vols must now build up a strong product through the portal.  

The Volunteers made a big splash on day three of the portal, signing Kansas State transfer safety Qua Moss. The first piece of Knowles’ new defense recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble for the Wildcats this season. Prior to his lone season at Kansas State, Moss played at Dodge Community College and West Georgia. 

Former Penn State defenders Chaz Coleman (Edge) and Xavier Gilliam (DL) have spent time on campus along with North Carolina LB Khmori House and Wake Forest DL Mateen Ibiroga.

After the departures of defensive backs Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy to the NFL draft and Rickey Gibson III to the portal, Tennessee’s need for secondary improvements is dire. 

Troy cornerback Jaquez White is set to visit Rocky Top this week and could be a major get for the Vols. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound corner recorded 67 total tackles and three interceptions this season and would be a great fit for Knowles’ defense. With the newly acquired Moss, White could help turn the Vols 2025 defensive weakness into a 2026 strength. 

With the departure of running backs Star Thomas (eligibility) and Peyton Lewis (portal), the Vols are looking to add some depth behind returning back DeSean Bishop. 

Louisiana RB Zylan Perry would be a great fit for the 2026 backup role, supplementing Bishop’s powerful attack. Perry would play a similar role to Thomas as he has one year of eligibility remaining. In his junior 2025 season, Perry had 138 carries for 689 yards and 8 touchdowns. 

An additional fun name to monitor is Alabama QB Ty Simpson. Should Simpson opt not to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, the quarterback would return to college and could decide to test his portal value -– which would be among the highest of available players. With Tennessee’s 2026 quarterback situation in limbo, Heupel and staff would surely make a Godfather-like offer to Simpson to lure him to his childhood-favorite team Volunteers if he enters the transfer market.