Tennessee DB Christian Harrison plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Tennessee defensive back Christian Harrison plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Harrison was a redshirt sophomore in 2024, playing a bigger role than he had previously in his career. He appeared in 12 games and racked up 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks and a pass defended.

He appeared in 13 games total in the prior two seasons, making a relatively minimal impact.

In his three-year career at Tennessee, Christian Harrison has logged 31 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks and a pass defended.

Prior to enrolling at Tennessee, Christian Harrison was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 956 overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class. He also checked in as the No. 42 athlete in the class and the No. 96 overall player from the state of Georgia, hailing from Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy.

One Tennessee transfer staying in the SEC

Christian Harrison won’t be the only defensive player to transfer out of the Tennessee program, with a few others already announcing their plans to depart. One will stay in the SEC, even.

Former Tennessee linebacker Jalen Smith is staying in the SEC. Smith has committed to Mississippi State, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Smith recorded 34 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss for Tennessee in 2024, which ranked eighth on the team. The redshirt freshman has three years of eligibility remaining.

Smith signed with Tennessee as a three-star recruit and the No. 42 linebacker in the country for the class of 2023, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

On3’s Matt Connolly also contributed to this report.