ESPN ranks Tennessee football’s transfer portal additions, losses

Tennessee football added two top-100 transfers to its defense out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to ESPN’s ranking of the best players in the portal. Auburn transfer corner Kayin Lee is ranked No. 57 and Penn State transfer defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam is No. 97. ESPN had Penn State edge rusher Chaz Coleman ranked No. 12, despite Coleman being a medical disqualification at Tennessee. Three Tennessee transfer losses made the list. Offensive tackle Lance Heard, who went from Tennessee to Kentucky, was ranked No. 32. Defensive end Jordan Ross, who went from the Vols to LSU, was No. 70 and cornerback Rickey Gibson III, who transferred to Texas A&M, was No. 75. Kayin Lee at Auburn: 81 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 INTs Lee visited Ohio State, Missouri and Texas A&M before committing to the Vols on January 7. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect from Ellenwood, Ga., had 81 tackles, 2.0 sacks and three interceptions while playing in 36 games over the last three seasons at Auburn. He had 18 tackles as a freshman in 2023, then 32 in 2024 and 31 last season. He picked off two passes in 2024 and another one this season, while also recording 17 passes defended in his three seasons with the Tigers. He was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, ranked No. 126 nationally, No. 13 at cornerback and No. 7 in the state of Georgia. “Corner was a major need for the Vols in January after starters Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood opted to enter the NFL draft,” ESPN wrote, “so starting off with a pledge from a proven SEC starter was critical. Lee has one year left and is hoping to boost his draft stock with a big year in Knoxville.” Xavier Gilliam ‘should step in as a starter’ at Tennessee The 6-foot-2, 301-pound Gilliam had 16 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in 17 games over the past two seasons at Penn State. In 13 games last season he finished with 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He was a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle and was ranked No. 63 among defensive linemen. The Vols in December added four former Penn State players from the Jim Knowles defense last season, with Gilliam joined by safety Dejuan Lane, linebacker Amare Campbell and Coleman. ESPN in June ranked Gilliam No. 20 on its list of the top 100 newcomers in college football this season, with the ranking consisting of both transfers and incoming freshmen. Two other Tennessee players made the same list: No. 22 Faizon Brandon, the five-star freshman quarterback, and Kayin Lee at No. 68. “(Gilliam is) another Nittany Lion making the move to Knoxville with Knowles,” ESPN wrote. “Gilliam should step in as a starter for a Vols front that has to replace a lot of experience but does get Nathan Robinson and Daevin Hobbs back at defensive tackle.”