Tennessee football is losing more players in the transfer portal than it’s adding, and that has stressed out fans.
It’s a reasonable reaction. The Vols made the College Football Playoff with a senior-laden team, so they must reload to stay at that level in 2025.
But coach Josh Heupel and his staff are managing roster numbers, not just emotions. And they presumably have a plan that reaches beyond this initial wave of transfers.
A large 2025 signing class, the NFL Draft and a few scholarship cuts from the Jeremy Pruitt recruiting scandal are among the factors at play.
So it’s important to know the numbers that UT is working with.
The transfer portal closes Saturday to new players entering it. But teams can add players after that date, so expect UT to do that in the coming days.
Here’s a peek into UT scholarship numbers that dictate these decisions.
TENNESSEE TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKERWho’s leaving Vols from 2024 team
It seems UT’s roster has shrunk with so many players entering the portal, but it has not.
UT projects to lose 27 scholarship players from the 2024 team. And it has added 26 scholarship players so far. Here’s the breakdown.
There are a couple of assumptions to produce those numbers.
Pearce hasn’t announced his NFL decision yet. But he’s a projected first-round pick, so it’s fair to assume that he’ll declare for the 2025 draft.
Tight end Miles Kitselman has not announced that he will return in 2025. But he is included in this 2025 roster projection after the NCAA granted a blanket waiver for former junior college transfers to regain one season of eligibility.
Take a second glance at those numbers. UT lost a combined 25 scholarship players from its senior class (13) and the portal (12).
It replenished that with 25 high school recruits in the 2025 signing class.
So if you’re waiting for the Vols to replace all their veteran players through the portal, you may be looking in the wrong place. The math says UT already decided to go younger by stocking the 2025 roster with freshmen rather than a large haul of transfers.
UT will still add transfers at key positions of need. But don’t expect every hole to be plugged through the portal.
UT carried 81 scholarship players on its 2024 roster.
Assuming Kitselman returns and Pearce goes to the NFL, UT appears to already have 81 scholarship players for the 2025 roster, including Moe from the portal and 25 incoming freshmen. That also assumes that no walk-ons are given scholarships.
It seems like UT lost more seniors than it did. But that’s because starting safety Will Brooks, veteran long snapper Matthew Salansky, veteran special teams player William Wright and backup quarterback Gaston Moore were not on scholarship.
SEC schools will have a limit of 85 scholarships in the 2025 season. So UT has room to add more players from the portal, but not as many as other schools.
Tennessee must be selective and make every portal addition count. And it could help if a few players buried on the depth chart enter the portal after spring practice to clear roster space.
Tennessee has 81 scholarship players for the 2025 roster, and it can’t push much further without losing players.
The Vols will likely carry 82 or 83 scholarship players because of scholarship cuts required under probation from the Pruitt recruiting scandal.
That means the Vols won’t bring in a dozen transfers like some other schools. They’ll probably add just a few more transfers from the portal before hitting capacity before spring practice.
Here’s where those numbers come from.
UT has three football seasons remaining on probation from the Pruitt recruiting scandal. It ends on July 13, 2028.
UT had to cut 28 scholarships, but it got credit for 16 self-imposed cuts from the 2021 and 2022 seasons. That left 12 scholarship cuts over five seasons, or about two or three per year.
That allows Heupel to carry a manageable roster, but he still must trim his numbers slightly compared to competitors. And that forces the Vols to be more selective in who they add from the portal.
All eight of UT’s portal additions from a year ago contributed in 2024. Some of them like Kitselman and All-America cornerback Jermod McCoy were big hits. Heupel needs a similar hit rate this time around because he doesn’t have extra scholarships to waste.
It’s a delicate numbers game. But UT must solve it for a chance to return to the College Football Playoff.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
