Former Notre Dame OL Sam Pendleton commits to Tennessee

Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Sam Pendleton is headed to the SEC. Pendleton has committed to Tennessee after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The North Carolina native has three years of eligibility remaining. Pendleton started seven games for Notre Dame this past season, helping the Fighting Irish reach the national championship game.

Pendleton started the first seven games of the year for Notre Dame, before contributing off the bench and on special teams the second half of the season. Now he is off to Tennessee to try and earn a starting role.

Pendleton signed with Notre Dame after being ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 34 interior offensive lineman in the country in the class of 2023, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He played in two games while redshirting in 2023, before moving into a much larger role during the 2024 season.

Prior to beginning his college football career, Pendleton attended Reagan High in Pfafftown North Carolina, playing for head coach Josh McGree. He is joining a Tennessee program that, like Notre Dame, reached the College Football Playoff this past season.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Duke transfer RB Star Thomas commits to Tennessee

The Tennessee offense recently received some other help out of the transfer portal as former Duke running back Star Thomas has committed to the Vols.

Thomas joins Sam Pendleton in committing to play for Tennessee for the 2025 college football season. Thomas is joining the Tennessee program after serving as the top running back for the Blue Devils in 2024.

This past season, Star Thomas appeared in 12 games for the Blue Devils, carrying the ball 213 times for 871 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. He will help replace Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, who is off to the NFL Draft.

Thomas began his college career playing at Coffeyville Community College. He then transferred to New Mexico State and played multiple seasons there before playing the 2024 season with Duke.

Thomas is one of countless players nationwide impacted by the NCAA granting a waiver to players who had played junior college football in the wake of the Diego Pavia court case, giving players who played junior college football an additional year of eligibility while it pends.

The Louisiana native put up impressive numbers during his time with the Aggies, rushing for 1,173 yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons. Thomas was named second-team All-Conference USA in 2023 after rushing for 653 yards on 112 carries. He averaged 5.8 yards per rush and had four touchdowns on the year.