Football in Tennessee: two players Target volunteers in the transfer portal.

In 2022, Tennessee football might have made the playoffs if Hendon Hooker hadn’t torn his ACL. With 525.5 offensive yards per game, the Vols led the nation in both scoring and offensive yardage. They were also the nation’s best scorers per game with 46.2. However, the Vols somewhat regressed in the previous campaign. The loss of Hooker and top receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman to the NFL caused a significant decline in Tennessee’s offensive output. Their average point total dropped from 46.2 to 31.5 per game. On offense, they also had an average of almost 70 fewer yards per game. While an 8-4 season isn’t insignificant, it’s not nearly as good as Tennesee’s 11-2 season from 2022.

Tennessee will need to make a significant impact on the transfer portal if they hope to reclaim their top spot in the SEC and make the playoffs. They’ve done this before with success, so all they need to do now is aim at Hendon Hooker, whom the Vols acquired through the portal from Virginia Tech. Players find Tennessee to be a desirable location within the portal. So, the question is: who on the Vols team should they get from the portal to support them?

Why not attempt a third shade of orange, since DJ Uiagalelei has already tried two? After Trevor Lawrence left for the NFL, Uiagalelei was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as the next great Clemson quarterback. But with Uiagelelei at Clemson, it never really clicked. In his first season as a starter at Clemson, he threw for ten more interceptions than touchdowns (nine). Although he had a much better season in 2022—possibly the best of his career thus far—he was ultimately benched in favor of current Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.