Tennessee football announces four transfer additions to 2023 roster

Tennessee football announced the addition of four transfers to the 2023 roster on Monday, the first day of classes for the spring semester in Knoxville. The four new transfers announced were Miami offensive lineman John Campbell Jr., BYU defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Arizona State defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott and Oregon receiver Dont’e Thornton.

The four new transfers join the previously announced additions out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, in UC Davis tight end McCallan Castles, BYU linebacker Keenan Pili, Texas offensive lineman Andrej Karic and Indiana kicker Charles Campbell.

Vols added eight players from NCAA Transfer Portal

Thornton, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound sophomore out of Oregon, caught 17 passes for 366 yards and a touchdown in 11 games with the Ducks this season. He had nine receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns in four games at Oregon as a freshman in 2021.

Norman-Lott, the 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman, spent three seasons at Arizona State, using a redshirt year in 2020, then recording 45 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sack over the last two seasons. He had 14 tackles in nine games this year, with 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Campbell, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle out of Miami, started 11 times in 12 games for the Hurricanes this season. He made 17 starts in 33 career games at Miami over the previous four seasons.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Jeudy-Lally had 47 tackles and seven passes deflected in 13 games at BYU this season, finishing with 31 solo tackles and 16 assisted tackles. He started his collegiate career at Vanderbilt in 2021, playing in 12 games for the ‘Dores, recording 50 tackles — 35 solo, 15 assists — with one pass deflected

The eight transfers are entering the program alongside 20 new players from the 2023 signing class who enrolled at Tennessee for the spring semester: running back DeSean Bishop (Knoxville); linebacker Arion Carter (Smyrna, Tenn.); defensive back Christian Conyer (Bowling Green, Ky.); tight end Ethan Davis (Atlanta, Ga.); defensive back Rickey Gibson III (Trussville, Ala.); kicker Max Gilbert (Memphis, Tenn.); defensive lineman Caleb Herring (Newnan, Ga.); defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs (Concord, N.C.); quarterback Nico Iamaleava (Long Beach, Calif.); offensive lineman Larry Johnson III (Savannah, Ga.); offensive lineman Vysen Lang (Pike Road, Ala.); wide receiver Nathan Leacock (Raleigh, N.C.); defensive back Jack Luttrell (Gainesville, Ga.); defensive back Jordan Matthews (Baton Rouge, La.); defensive lineman Nathan Robinson (Greenbrier, Tenn.); wide receiver Cameron Seldon (Browns Stone, Va.); defensive back John Slaughter (Clarksdale, Miss.); linebacker Jalen Smith (Grayson, Ga.); linebacker Jeremiah Telander (Gainesville, Ga.); offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov (Alpharetta, Ga.).

Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class ranked No. 10 nationally, No. 4 in SEC

Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class is ranked 10th nationally and fourth in the SEC, with a class score of 91.86. Iamaleava, the five-star quarterback, is the No. 1 overall player in the class in the On3 ratings. Hobbs is No. 29 and Leacock is No. 45, giving the Vols three top-50 players from the class. Leacock is ranked No. 71 overall, Herring is No. 83 and four-star edge rusher Chandavian Bradley is No. 97, making it five top-100 prospects. 

There were 11 Tennessee players that left the program through the transfer portal since the end of the season: Freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson (Indiana); sophomore wide receiver Walker Merrill (Wake Forest); redshirt freshman offensive lineman RJ Perry (South Florida); freshman running back Justin Williams-Thomas (Cal); redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Calloway (Louisville); freshman defensive lineman Jordan Phillips (Maryland); redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Holiday (Western Kentucky); redshirt freshman tight end Miles Campell (North Carolina Central); redshirt senior linebacker Juwan Mitchell; redshirt freshman offensive lineman William Parker; redshirt sophomore running back Len’Neth Whitehead.