1. The QB search continues
Tennessee still hasn’t found their QB to replace Nico’s departure. There is a lot of worry among fans that the Vols haven’t been aggressive enough in the portal this cycle. Just want to provide a reminder that the portal opened on Wednesday. It doesn’t close for another week.
There were some rumblings yesterday about Steve Angeli of ND being a possible name to watch. Per On3’s Pete Nakos, Tennessee continues to evaluate Angeli, but they are still doing their due diligence on other possible options.
What Nakos did disclose is that several QBs across the country have already received raises to keep them at their respective schools. It looks like Tennessee might have to target more of a depth piece instead of a plug & play starter.
If so, that’s okay. Jake Merklinger (RS Freshman) and George MacIntyre (True Freshman) were fairly highly recruited QBs coming out of high school. One of them is likely capable of running the Vols offense this fall.
It’s only a matter of time until Faizon Brandon, current UT commit & #1 high school QB in the country in the class of 2026, arrives on campus. Tennessee fans will need to give Heupel some grace this season after his starting QB bolted during Spring Practice.
2. More Vols enter the portal
DB Christian Charles, DB John Slaughter, and OL Ayden Bussell have entered the portal this week. Charles showed promise early in his career but was never able to get away from the injury bug. Bussell has been a career-depth piece that is likely looking for playing time at a smaller program, and Slaughter was someone competing for a starting spot in the secondary who probably saw the writing on the wall this Spring. He too is most likely looking for a starting spot somewhere else.
3. Depth still needed elsewhere
Besides the need for a QB to replace the sudden departure of Nico, UT still has depth issues elsewhere that need to be addressed. They currently have seven scholarship WRs on the team & most do not have much playing experience. Defensive line is also an area of concern. Tennessee had one of the deepest defensive lines in the country last year but lost the majority of their production to graduation or the NFL. There is talent, but they will need to try to add some depth there if possible. Lastly, don’t be surprised if Tenn goes after a safety in this spring window. They have not done the best job recruiting that position out of high school and will need a playmaker to go along side returning starter Andre Turrentine.