2025/26 Transfer Portal Thread

#8,376
#8,376
Jackcrevol said:
thoughts?
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I think at this point the Vols are obviously missing out on targets but don't think it is on coaching. Most of these misses are guys that haven't made it to campus. With the portal the coaches are not making those arrangements. Was told that in most cases where a guy visits there has already been alot of ground work completed. There is some understanding of NIL evaluation & commitment from the school. While there are some kids like Gilliam who are going to take all their visits, hear everyone's pitch, and make final decision, it seems pretty clear winning the visit and your place in the visit order is paramount.

I am not sure of Vols setup within their AD/Nil dept and my contaxt can't really provide answers there as his source isn't involved on that side of things and has only been in Knoxville since Saturday.

I will say my Sooners have had pretty good success despite being one of the most NIL challenged schools of the blue bloods. I think a lot of that os Jim Nagy and it's clear they had alot of work already done before the portal ever officially opened
 
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#8,378
#8,378
SoonerAndVol said:
I think at this point the Vols are obviously missing out on targets but don't think it is on coaching. Most of these misses are guys that haven't made it to campus. With the portal the coaches are not making those arrangements. Was told that in most cases where a guy visits there has already been alot of ground work completed. There is some understanding of NIL evaluation & commitment from the school. While there are some kids like Gilliam who are going to take all their visits, hear everyone's pitch, and make final decision, it seems pretty clear winning the visit and your place in the visit order is paramount.

I am not sure of Vols setup within their AD/Nil dept and my contaxt can't really provide answers there as his source isn't involved on that side of things and has only been in Knoxville since Saturday.

I will say my Sooners have had pretty good success despite being one of the most NIL challenged schools of the blue bloods. I think a lot of that os Jim Nagy and it's clear they had alot of work already done before the portal ever officially opened
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what't that like?😜
 
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#8,379
#8,379
This portal season is really exposing how CFB is just becoming pro baseball. Like 4-5 teams have limitless budget and just vacuum up all the talent to buy titles. If no guard rails get set up soon then people are going to start tuning out and stadiums will stop filling up because why buy overpriced tickets to go watch a team be obviously short handed due to financials?

I know this isn’t a unique problem to Tennessee. Lane seems to be struggling a bit already, we’re getting cooked, Bama is falling fast, even Ohio State is missing on guys they shouldn’t. Some schools basically don’t even have a roster right now. Meanwhile schools with at least one or two big time bagmen are just handpicking every free agent imaginable. This inevitably leads to a crap product for everyone
 
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#8,383
#8,383
99Vol said:
Nothing to share on Simpson, he’s not in the portal so anyone with any knowledge isn’t sharing tamporing…
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oh-sure-john-candy.gif
 
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#8,387
#8,387
Texas Tech will be the program that brings this current structure to the ground. They aren't a traditional power and the power players in college football will find a way to stop them.

Maybe not this year, but things will start to change.

Players aren't loyal anymore and let's be honest if I'm between the ages 18-22 and am getting recruited again, I'm going to likely take whoever will give me the most money. At that age, I wouldn't have thought about long-term ramifications, etc. And if my coaches changed or I saw teammates leave, it would be that much harder to stay.
 
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#8,390
#8,390
Hawaiian Hammer said:
This portal season is really exposing how CFB is just becoming pro baseball. Like 4-5 teams have limitless budget and just vacuum up all the talent to buy titles. If no guard rails get set up soon then people are going to start tuning out and stadiums will stop filling up because why buy overpriced tickets to go watch a team be obviously short handed due to financials?

I know this isn’t a unique problem to Tennessee. Lane seems to be struggling a bit already, we’re getting cooked, Bama is falling fast, even Ohio State is missing on guys they shouldn’t. Some schools basically don’t even have a roster right now. Meanwhile schools with at least one or two big time bagmen are just handpicking every free agent imaginable. This inevitably leads to a crap product for everyone
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I miss the days when only Alabama and Georgia were allowed to pay the players. Those were the days.
 
#8,394
#8,394
DD4ME said:
There is always a limit to every market. Would love to see a stats guy analyze the likely increases and total shuffle. If you think about it there will only be so many teams that can overpay for so many players. On QB we've seen a 50% max increase, but that was for ~1% of qb's.
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My stab through chat. It missed the mark on my intent, but it pointed out why QB would be something we'd overshoot on. In general it's assessment is we are a higher volatility team. Closer to Tech than Michigan or UGA.

Portal Market Volatility Summary (Jan 2026)
Scope: Top half of SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC
Teams: 34
Baseline: Average portal activity across the last 3 full seasons
Method: Portal-only movement (ins + outs)
Objective: Estimate competitive upheaval, not assign blame or intent
Tennessee Snapshot
Team: Tennessee
Portal Activity: Above 3-year program average
Relative Position: Above conference median
Profile: Moderate-to-high volatility
Interpretation:
Tennessee is actively reallocating roster talent rather than relying on continuity. This places the program in a higher-variance position year-to-year, with outcomes more sensitive to portal hit rate and early-season cohesion than programs emphasizing retention.
SEC Context (Top Half Only)
Team
Volatility Profile
Georgia
Low
Alabama
Medium
Texas
High
Texas A&M
High
Ole Miss
Medium
Oklahoma
High
Missouri
Low–Medium
Tennessee
Medium–High
Observation:
Tennessee’s churn profile aligns more closely with the SEC’s aggressive or transitional programs than with its continuity-driven programs.
National Comparison (Top-Half Power 4)
Higher-Volatility Group
Programs with elevated portal volume relative to recent history:
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
USC
Illinois
Tennessee
These teams are accepting greater short-term risk in exchange for potential near-term gains.
Lower-Volatility Group
Programs emphasizing roster stability and internal development:
Georgia
Michigan
Iowa
Missouri
These teams show narrower performance ranges year-to-year.
Market-Level Projection (This Portal Cycle)
The condensed portal window and rising NIL pressure are producing higher variance across the top half of the Power 4 than in the previous three seasons.
Estimated 30–40% of these 34 teams are likely to experience meaningful performance deviation (≈ ±2–3 wins) attributable primarily to portal outcomes.
Tennessee is within this higher-variance subset.
Summary
This portal cycle represents a step-change in volatility, not merely incremental growth.
Tennessee’s strategy places it above the median in churn, increasing both upside potential and downside exposure.
Competitive separation within the top half of the Power 4 is likely to widen, driven by uneven portal effectiveness rather than uniform disruption.
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#8,396
#8,396
Hawaiian Hammer said:
This portal season is really exposing how CFB is just becoming pro baseball. Like 4-5 teams have limitless budget and just vacuum up all the talent to buy titles. If no guard rails get set up soon then people are going to start tuning out and stadiums will stop filling up because why buy overpriced tickets to go watch a team be obviously short handed due to financials?

I know this isn’t a unique problem to Tennessee. Lane seems to be struggling a bit already, we’re getting cooked, Bama is falling fast, even Ohio State is missing on guys they shouldn’t. Some schools basically don’t even have a roster right now. Meanwhile schools with at least one or two big time bagmen are just handpicking every free agent imaginable. This inevitably leads to a crap product for everyone
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Dude what? This is nothing like pro baseball. INDIANA and OLE MISS are in the final 4. There’s more parity than there’s ever been
 
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#8,397
#8,397
HEAR ME OUT HERE

Losing Herring sucks. So does Ross. Especially with Joseph’s graduating. BUT…

There are a TON of high profile edges that have entered the portal recently that are bigger and better fitted to Knowles system than these losses. As an example: there are 4 former 5star Edges from Bama, ALONE.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY. An opportunity to swing BIG, and upgrade if we can get the right guys to campus and lock them in. It’s really hard in the transfer portal world, and with our needs and defensive roster turnover, to be patient, but for as much has or hasn’t happened we are only 4 days into the 2 week portal window.

Trust in the hires JH has made. And the big donors to support that excellent hire with the funds we need to build a FIERCE defense over the next week. It’s coming.
 
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#8,399
#8,399
Sandman Vol said:
HEAR ME OUT HERE

Losing Herring sucks. So does Ross. Especially with Joseph’s graduating. BUT…

There are a TON of high profile edges that have entered the portal recently that are bigger and better fitted to Knowles system than these losses. As an example: there are 4 former 5star Edges from Bama, ALONE.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY. An opportunity to swing BIG, and upgrade if we can get the right guys to campus and lock them in. It’s really hard in the transfer portal world, and with our needs and defensive roster turnover, to be patient, but for as much has or hasn’t happened we are only 4 days into the 2 week portal window.

Trust in the hires JH has made. And the big donors to support that excellent hire with the funds we need to build a FIERCE defense over the next week. It’s coming.
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Screenshot_20260106_233307_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
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#8,400
#8,400
Sandman Vol said:
HEAR ME OUT HERE

Losing Herring sucks. So does Ross. Especially with Joseph’s graduating. BUT…

There are a TON of high profile edges that have entered the portal recently that are bigger and better fitted to Knowles system than these losses. As an example: there are 4 former 5star Edges from Bama, ALONE.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY. An opportunity to swing BIG, and upgrade if we can get the right guys to campus and lock them in. It’s really hard in the transfer portal world, and with our needs and defensive roster turnover, to be patient, but for as much has or hasn’t happened we are only 4 days into the 2 week portal window.

Trust in the hires JH has made. And the big donors to support that excellent hire with the funds we need to build a FIERCE defense over the next week. It’s coming.
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And what from the last few days makes you think these other high profile edge rushers will come here? We can barely get them to campus, let alone commit
 
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